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140-plus congressmen call for closing Gitmo |
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By Jeremy Jacobs
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Posted: 06/29/07 02:11 PM [ET] |
Over 140 congressmen joined Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) Friday in urging the president to close the Guantanamo Bay prison center, citing its negative effect on the United States’ image around the world.
“Guantanamo is anathema to our values as a nation, governed by the rule of law,” Moran said in a written statement. “Its continued operation undermines our efforts to combat terrorism, providing psychological ammunition for those bent on doing us harm.”
The letter garnered little support from the GOP — only Iraq war critic Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.) signed on to it.
Moran noted that the president has indicated recently that he is reconsidering closing the facility, a change he and the letter’s other signees would welcome.
“The closure of the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay would represent a positive first step toward restoring our international reputation as the leader of democracy and individual rights,” the letter stated.
Moran also highlighted some of Guantanamo’s more troubling statistics in a statement accompanying the letter. Since it opened in 2002, only 10 of the 700-plus detainees held in the facility have been charged with a crime. Four inmates in the prison have committed suicide in the facility, one more than have been granted a hearing before a military commission.
In response to these statistics and reports of inmate abuse in the prison, Moran successfully added an amendment to the FY08 Defense Authorization Bill that requires the Department of Defense (DoD) to prepare plans to transfer Guantanamo detainees to other holding facilities.
The letter echoes former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s remarks last week. Powell said that the prison should be closed because it is undermining the United States’ global standing in the war on terror.
“Guantanamo Bay has a become a liability in the broader global war on terror, as allegations of torture, the indefinite detention of innocent men, and international objections to the treatment of enemy combatants [have] hurt our credibility as the beacon for freedom and justice,” the letter stated. “Its continued operation also threatens the safety of U.S. citizens and military personnel detained abroad.”
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