Vol. 72/No. 48      December 8, 2008

Like the military tribunals themselves, the trial was closed to the media and public. The “evidence” was based on hearsay from secret sources. The accused were barred from the courtroom and only allowed telephone access to nonclassified parts of the trial. The judge ruled that Bensayah’s indefinite detention was lawful because he was allegedly “more likely than not” planning to fight in Afghanistan.

Denial of the most basic right to a fair trial is just one example of Washington’s inhumane treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo—and of the estimated 40,000 other prisoners the U.S. military holds throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, and in secret jails in other countries. These violations of rights have been carried out under the banner of the so-called war on terror. But they are ultimately aimed against working people in the United States.

Spying and curbing of constitutional protections have accelerated under the administrations of William Clinton and George Bush. This course has been carried out hand in hand with the assault against our wages, working conditions, and social entitlements. This will continue along with the unfolding economic crisis of capitalism, as the bosses and their government prepare to confront the inevitable resistance by our class that these assaults will provoke.

The widespread knowledge of the inhumane treatment of prisoners at Guantánamo has become a political liability for the U.S. ruling class, as the vast majority of working people around the world strongly oppose arbitrary detentions and the use of torture. President-elect Barack Obama stated November 15 his intention to eventually close the prison. The Bush administration has also spoken in favor of closing the camp and stopped sending new prisoners there some time ago.

Moves by Washington toward shutting down Guantánamo have nothing to do with providing more rights or better treatment to the tens of thousands of “terror” suspects in U.S. custody throughout the world. Simultaneously with talking about closing Guantánamo, Washington is expanding its prison camp at the U.S. airbase in Bagram, Afghanistan, where the crimes of its torturers can be more easily hidden from public view.

As part of defending the interests of our class worldwide, working people in the United States should demand the closing of Guantánamo and other U.S. “detention” centers and the release of all those incarcerated, as well as the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, Iraq, and all other countries where they are stationed.
 
 
Related articles:
Federal trials begin for Guantánamo prisoners  
 
 
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