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Death Trap

Editorial
The News & Observer
June 13, 2006

Some human rights organizations have been protesting the United States' treatment of inmates at the GuantanamoBay naval base in Cuba, where people detained by American forces on suspicion of ties to terrorism are held. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has consistently defended the detentions as necessary and not abusive. Yet the deaths of three inmates on Saturday by suicide should disturb not only those most sympathetic to the detainees from the beginning, but even those who have felt Guantanamo was a necessary evil, and for that matter those who might have been less inclined to have any sympathy at all.

The three men were ages 21, 28 and 30. Two were Saudi citizens, one was from Yemen. The prison where they were held contains about 460 inmates who are classified as enemy combatants.

Ten have been charged as war criminals before military tribunals, which is the way President Bush believes their cases should be handled. But some prisoners, including those who hanged themselves, have been in custody for over four years without being charged -- one of the factors that has prompted pressure on the Bush administration from foreign leaders to close the camp.

In the wake of the suicides, which shouldn't be allowed to occur at any prison, the government obviously needs to conduct a detailed and timely investigation and disclose its outcome. Navy Rear Adm. Harry Harris Jr., commander of prison operations at Guantanamo, has his opinion already: He believes the suicides were "an act of...warfare waged against us." Harris said the prison contains many connected to terrorist groups who will stop at nothing to build support for themselves while trying to weaken the position of the United States.

Certainly the admiral's position must not be ignored. But the Guantanamo prison has been problematic since it opened in early 2002. In fact, there have been several suicide attempts, along with hunger strikes that have been overcome with forced feeding. Whether those acts stemmed from desperation or were what the admiral believes they were, it's important that efforts be made to find out. How these prisoners are treated, after all, does have an effect on world opinion.

It's true that should the probe determine these suicides were indeed acts of aggression, rather than acts of people in the grip of despair, there will be those leaders who will not believe it, no matter what. But it's still important to seek the truth, given this country's belief in human rights protection, even when it comes to our most serious enemies.

This episode also provides an opportunity to look again at the possibility that the detainees' cases could be moved through the judicial process, be it military or civilian, in a more expeditious fashion. And the Bush administration will inevitably have to confront the big-picture question of whether Guantanamo's prison should be closed, period. The nation must of course not let down its guard when it comes to vigilance about terrorism, but even this country's allies are arguing that Guantanamo is a bad symbol at a time when U.S. troops are leading the battle for democracy and freedom in Iraq.

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