No Human Rights in Bagram

When President Obama made the executive order to close Guantanamo Bay, I felt proud to be an American. Torture was no longer on my laundry list of American problems. Sure, it’s going to take over a year to disperse the prisoners in safe communities that won’t torture or kill them, but Obama’s act was a symbol of justice. When Obama campaigned with the promise to close down Gitmo on his first day in office, I believed him. When he said America didn’t torture, I believed him. Sadly, it seems as if the American people have been deceived yet again.

Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan is a prison facility operated by the U.S. military. It currently holds approximately 600 “enemy combatants.” Bagram is hidden to the public because of its distant location, but made its debut to the masses in 2007 with the release of Oscar-winning film, Taxi to the Dark Side. The movie focuses on an innocent taxi driver who was sent to Bagram prison and killed, due to the tortuous interrogation techniques used by the U.S. soldiers stationed there. Sadly, the case of the taxi driver in the movie isn’t uncommon. The United States has admitted that torture in Bagram has lead to several homicides.

With his human rights achievement in Guantanamo, Obama seems to think that Bagram has been forgotten by the public. A week ago, Obama’s administration announced that the prisoners at Bagram have no constitutional rights, this ruling follows that of the Bush administration. The prisoners have no way to appeal their imprisonment, and many say that conditions at Bagram are worse than at Guantanamo.

As a believer in the Obama administration, this seems like a blatant slap in the face. Does Obama think that by closing Guantanamo, the American people will simply put human rights issues in the closet and forget about them? Maybe he hopes that the current economic troubles will divert attention away from our treatment of prisoners over seas. Whatever the case, it seems that Obama’s administration is more than willing to continue their unjust and amoral interrogation techniques at Bagram. Currently the United States is pouring $60 million to expand the prison to hold approximately 1100 prisoners, almost double the amount of prisoners ever held at Guantanamo.

Almost more frustrating than the ruling, is the explanation given by the US justice department. They say that because Afghanistan is an overseas war zone and the prisoners held at Bagram are part of ongoing military action, those detained have no rights. Basically, our justice department is saying that it would be too dangerous and time consuming to award each prisoner with habeas corpus; the same rights awarded to those imprisoned in the United States. Again and again the counter argument resides in an upholding of national security, with military generals constantly reminding the public how American POW’s are treated overseas. If America’s new administration continues to fight fear with fear, the fire of hate and injustice will forever burn.

2 Responses

1. 9:20 PM on March 15th, 2009Somebody:

   also No Human Rights in China/Walmart.

2. 11:58 AM on March 25th, 2009Captain Planet:

   Who cares, they’d do the same thing if the roles were reversed.

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