Obama hasn’t even been President for two days, and he’s already changing the country, giving America a new face. A kinder and more benevolent face - one that says we are fair, just, and honest. He’s begun his presidency with something most human rights activists hoped for with their fists clenched and their breath ragged. And now, not only will activists around the world be taking a deep breath and exhaling - perhaps even jumping up and down, popping a bottle of champagne, or writing a blog - but the world will begin to give us more approving glances.
Obama has kept true to his promise, and today he signed executive orders directing the C.I.A. to shut down its remaining secret prisons - and to close down the Guantánamo Bay detention center within one year. This is incredible; not only have NGOs like Amnesty International, the ACLU, and Human Rights Watch worked tirelessly towards this goal — beyond simply closing Guantanamo, they hoped that ending America’s flagrant disregard of human rights would be the first thing that our new President would do. And I, I remained cynical – wondering if it would indeed be first on his agenda.
But he has happily surprised me and many others I’m sure. Obama gets it. He realizes that we are campaigning not only for the rights of the detainees, many of them innocents caught up in violence and at the least, undeserving of the torture and humiliation they have faced. No, people are campaigning because Guantanamo Bay has become a symbol of America’s cruelty and utter disregard for our own constitution, that which has always been seen as representative of Freedom, Liberty, and Opportunity. Obama realizes that with a swift stroke of the pen, he can restore some of America’s good reputation in the world. And he can set the tone for his Presidency; he can set high standards for himself. He’s already closed Guantanamo on day one, and we can only expect an uphill journey from here.
But amidst the celebration, there is much left to be done. President Obama has halted the unconstitutional military commissions taking place in Guantanamo by ordering a 120-day suspension.
He has postponed some of the most important decisions to be made for 6 months. He knows its time to close the prison, but still seems uncertain what is to be done with the detainees.
“There are … ambiguities in the orders regarding treatment of certain detainees that could either be the result of the swiftness with which these orders were issued or ambivalence within the Obama administration. We are hopeful that as the process unfolds and gets clarified, there will be no doubt that detainees must either be charged, prosecuted and convicted or they need to be released,” – Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director
Right now? It’s all still a bit of a mess. Some prisoners are to be transferred back to their home countries to be tried - how can we guarantee that they will not suffer torture again in foreign prisons? And what about those deemed to ‘dangerous’ to even try in American courts? Or those who cannot be brought to trial for fear of revealing intelligence secrets? And for those who were tortured, humiliated in Guantanamo - what is to be done with them? If we are to be fair, we cannot admit their tainted guilty pleas, their bloodstained testimonies. We have to think of new solutions, be creative, and solve this problem quickly.
Obama has made his symbolic move, and found a way to garner quick praise. But time well tell whether this symbol will transform into substance. I respect him immensely for this single act — but I’ll respect him all the more if he can untangle the mess Bush left for us.
6 months? President Obama: I say we can do it faster. Let’s make it happen.
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