Close Guantanamo ASAP!

Human Rights First Q & A on Guantanamo says:

Q: Why do we need to close Guantanamo?

A: Key military and intelligence experts say Guantanamo is risk to US national security. Alberto Mora, Former General Counsel of the Navy, testified that "There are serving U.S. flag-rank officers who maintain that the first and second identifiable causes of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq – as judged by their effectiveness in recruiting insurgent fighters into combat – are, respectively the symbols of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo." Admiral Dennis Blair, the Director of National Intelligence, elaborated: "I agree with the President that the detention center at Guantanamo has become a damaging symbol to the world and that it must be closed. It is a rallying cry for terrorist recruitment and harmful to our national security, so closing it is important for our national security."[1]

Q: Are regular federal courts the appropriate forum to try Guantanamo detainees suspected of crimes of terrorism and war crimes?

A: Yes, our federal courts have proven that they are up to the task. In a study of 119 terrorism cases with 289 defendants, filed since 2001, Human Rights First found that of the 214 defendants whose cases were resolved as of June 2, 2009, 195 were convicted either by verdict or by a guilty plea.[2]

Since Jan. 1, 2009, more than 30 individuals charged with terrorism violations have been successfully prosecuted and/or sentenced in federal courts nationwide.[3] The War Crimes Act also explicitly gives federal courts jurisdiction to try war crimes.[4]

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