A letter from Camp X-Ray

[HStorm]

Mozzaim Begg, a British moslem captured in Pakistan three years ago, has managed, according to his lawyers, to smuggle a letter out of his prison in Guantanamo Bay, Camp X-Ray. In the letter he demands the immediate release or fair trial of himself and his fellow prisoners, and alleges various human rights abuses against them by the US soldiers, including routine acts of torture, threats, and at least two counts of murder.

The prisoners have been held in Guantanamo for three years now, without trial, adequate facilities, reasonable or impartial inspection of their living conditions, or even the basic right of Prisoner of War status. It is now becoming worryingly likely that the soldiers at Camp X-Ray, holding as they do unchecked power over the prisoners, are taking shocking advantage, and are treating them even more disgracefully than their colleagues treated Iraqi prisoners.

Begg's lawyers are demanding action by the UN against the United States of America. What kind of action should it be though? For that matter, what kind of action is even possible? And before we lose our heads in indignation, how sure can we be that the letter is even genuine?

[Naselus]

I wouldn't be even remotely suprised if it were an understatement of how badly they're being treated, and frankly I regard camp X-ray itself as one of the crowning glories of the perversion of the Land of the Free. However, let's put it into a US government logic frame, shall we?

'Even if most of the people imprisoned there probably weren't terrorists, they've got a damn good reason to be if they're ever let out now, so we have to pre-emptively retain them.'

Excellent work from my pocket Bushitron there, or, to be a little more honest, some talk from out of my arse.

Guantanimo is little better than Big Dubya's new gulag system. I imagine they've started to come up with their own torture methods there simply to relieve the boredom, just as the Ruskies did fifty years ago, and so we can probably be looking at sleep deprivation, psychological confusion techniques and possibly the infamous bug-box at the very least. However, no action can really be taken with a lunatic like Bush in power. Anyone critizing US policy is clearly an enemy of the free and so should be locked up. Nice one George, love that logic.

[HStorm]

You're assuming that Bush would try to justify the camp's existence and the behaviour of its troops, but he wouldn't because he's depending on a conspiracy of secrecy with which the US media, right-wing dominated as it is, are happily co-operating with. As such, most people in the US seem completely unaware that X-Ray even exists. So as long Bush keeps news of the place as quiet as possible, he'll probably get away with it.

[HStorm]

The UN has lodged a formal demand that the USA close down Guantanamo Bay, and that all its prisoners either be tried or set free.

You get one guess what the American response is.

A draft of a UN report on the prison, incidentally, has been leaked to the media. It can be downloaded from this link; -

news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/16_02_06_un_guantanamo.pdf

Also, a US soldier who served at the base, Sergeant Eric Saar, has written a book exposing and damning the degree of obscene abuse inflicted on the prisoners. The book is called Inside The Wire, and although it will doubtless be a harrowing read, I suspect it will be a very illuminating one, and I will be purchasing a copy. (I may review it for the literature section, or even write an article.)

By the way, although the usual brigade of arch-right-wing huffer-puffers in the US are trying to discredit him as a treacherous publicity-seeker, this is, as ever, gross libel; he was a very patriotic and eager member of the US army who volunteered for the camp in 2002. What he saw there is what turned him against the military, and forever-tarnished his view of his country.

If only more Americans could break their delusions. Although it's a shame it requires horrors like this to make it happen.

[HStorm]

Three prisoners - two Saudis and a Yemeni - held at Camp One in Guantanamo Bay have committed suicide. They were found hanged in their cells on Saturday morning. Although this is the first successful attempt, it is just the latest in dozens of suicide attempts at the base over the last four years.

While human rights groups have stated that the prisoners were driven to despair, the deaths have been dismissed by Colleen Graffy, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, as "a publicity stunt." (What does this tell us about the current US Administration that we didn't already know? I mean, if those are the words of an official responsible for 'diplomacy', what would a State Secretary for Crass Abusiveness have to say about it?)

Not just offensive, but also incredibly bizarre, was the response of the Camp Commander, Rear Admiral Harry Harris. He described the deaths as, "An Act of War" against the USA.

And there was me thinking all these years that the "Crack Suicide squad" line from Life Of Brian was supposed to be just a joke. It seems instead it was shrewd tactical advice...