The Washington Post said that all US presidents have failed to fulfill their promises to close the Guantanamo prison, which it described as a remnant of a sad period in US history, and listed some solutions that could constitute a way out for Washington from this impasse that offends its reputation globally. .
The Washington Post confirmed - in an article by the editorial staff - that the establishment of this "disgraceful" prison was a "grave mistake", highlighting that President Joe Biden's administration has brought the distance closer to closing it permanently by emptying it of the detainees inside it, who currently number 34 detainees, according to a census. Previously reported by The New York Times.
The article added that Congress will have to take the few remaining steps to remove this "stain" that has stained the United States' global reputation, explaining that opponents are taking advantage of its presence to emphasize the hypocrisy of the United States in terms of human rights, which always appears as a defender of rights and democracy. and freedoms, while embracing a prison in which there are no conditions for justice.
Criticism and condemnation
In addition, the cost of keeping a detainee in service is very high - the newspaper explains - as the cost per prisoner amounted to $19 million in 2019.
The US administration does not favor keeping detainees inside US territory, and has long since stopped bringing new detainees to Guantanamo, and has also begun encouraging allies to keep their detainees, as well as bringing some prominent detainees to trial before the Federal Court.
According to the newspaper, the continuation of the detention makes the country vulnerable to criticism and condemnation for a long time, especially since some detainees died inside Guantanamo, and their number has so far reached 9 people.
Three categories
The article stressed that those who remained in detention (34 people) can be divided into 3 categories, and the first consists of 20 people.
The most prominent problem lies in the willingness of their countries to receive them, knowing that some countries have volunteered to receive a number of detainees as a "humanitarian service", while the United States is charged with ensuring the requirements of their daily lives.
The second group consists of 11 detainees who have been accused - or convicted - of committing crimes, including those who participated in the September 11 attacks, and their trial has not yet begun, as the administration of former President George W. Bush established military committees to try them, and this was not achieved, because the creation of a parallel legal system It took a long time, and the newspaper called on the Biden administration to achieve justice in another way, perhaps the most effective of which is their trial before the Federal Court.
As for the third category, it consists of 3 people who have not yet been charged, and Washington refuses to deport them on the pretext that they pose a threat to it. Among them is Zain al-Abidin Muhammad Hussein - known as "Abu Zubaydah" - and for these, the Washington Post article suggested transferring them to American prison centers until they are tried. .
The American newspaper concluded that the Biden administration could reduce the number of Guantanamo detainees to only 14 (out of 34), by sending the rest to regions outside the United States, which makes the survival of this prisoner for the sake of this small number of detainees in vain and a waste of money and the country's reputation globally, calling for to convince Congress to end this "national embarrassment" once and for all.