G. Redd at 3:13 PM ET
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Friday, June 7, 2013
House panel approves defense spending bill that blocks Guantanamo closure
House panel approves defense spending bill that blocks Guantanamo closure
G. Redd at 3:13 PM ET
[JURIST] The House Armed Services Committee [official website] on Thursday approved the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) [HR 1960, PDF], which would keep the detention center at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder] open despite President Barack Obama's renewed statements that he will close it. According to the official summary
[text, PDF], "While the NDAA mandates the designation of a senior
[Defense Department] official to facilitate the safe transfer of
detainees overseas, the NDAA also maintains the bi-partisan prohibition
against transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay." The bill allocates
over 200 million dollars to restore dilapidated facilities, as well as
improve staff facilities. The bill also includes efforts to address the sexual assault crisis in the military
[JURIST news archive], as well as a plethora of other defense
initiatives ranging from retirement compensation to funding for drones.
Last month Obama renewed his pledge to make an effort to close the detention center [JURIST report]. Also in May JURIST Guest Columnist David Frakt of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law argued that the Obama administration should release those detainees
[JURIST op-ed] held at Guantanamo Bay who have already been declared to
not be a danger to the US. In April UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] called for US authorities to close down the Guantanamo prison camp
[JURIST report], emphasizing the continued indefinite incarcerations of
many detainees as a clear violation of international law.
G. Redd at 3:13 PM ET
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The decision by the House Panel is...... illegal, unlawful and a breach of international law as well as a breach of several treaties that the USA has signed!
ReplyDeleteThe decision is void and of no value what so ever!
If Congress accepts the decision, and continues to debate and create a law based on the decision by the House Panel, Congress is declaring itself illegal, unlawful, and breaching all treaties it gave its accordance to!
If the President of the USA signs such a bill into law, which btw he can not do as he has vowed to close Guantanamo bay (aka Gitmo)), he is declares himself a war-criminal, and then the President of the USA, the American Administration (aka government), as well as all members of Congress are war-criminals and are in danger of being arrested when going abroad, and brought before an international court of justice, perhaps (and probably) the ICJ at the Hague, the Netherlands.
So, America, think about what you are going to do....... choose to be war-criminals, or do the just thing, and release the innocent people who have been incarcerated indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay (aka Gitmo)!