U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to close the Guantanamo
Bay prison two years ago. However, we cannot expect the prison, currently
holding 173 inmates, to be closed during this presidential term. Some speculate
it is because of Obama’s lack of “political courage”; others blame the
Republicans in Congress. But Obama should not be let off the hook.
Last week Obama signed a $725.9 billion military spending
bill, and he is using its restrictive language as an excuse to avoid closing
the doors of the Guantanamo Bay prison. However, Obama could use Department of
Justice funds to transfer the Guantanamo inmates to federal courts in the U.S.
for prosecution, according to Andrea Prasow of Human Rights Watch.
“He gave up on closing Gitmo a while ago,” said Amnesty
International spokesman Tom Parker. “President Obama came into office on a
mandate for change, a promise of change, and what he exactly delivered on this
issue is continuacy [sic].”
