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Will Bagram become Obama's Guantanamo?
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SOURCE: Deutsche Welle (4-18-09)

The new US government disappointed human rights activists when it chose to adhere to the Bush administration's position that detainees imprisoned at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan have no right to challenge their confinement in US courts. Critics have now begun referring to Bagram as "Obama's Guantanamo."

An estimated 650 inmates are being held at the prison north of Kabul, but the public rarely receives any details about how they're being treated, says German Green Party politician and Afghanistan expert, Winfried Nachtwei.

"Up until now, I think it's only fair to describe Bagram as a black hole," he said.

Source: 
Deutsche Welle
Source URL: 
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4184012,00.html
Date: 
4-18-09

Obama's Guantanamo is Guantamo

Submitted by sjc on Mon, 2009-04-20 12:16.
As long as he refuses to prosecute torturers, he is complicit in the crimes of the Bush Adminstration, in Gitmo or anyplace else in the dark spaces of the world of extraordinary rendition. As long as he doesn't repudiate every justification that was ever contrived by Bush's ham-handed lawyers, Americans must justifiably fear that some subsequent administration will dredge up those "justifications" and scrub them off, polish them up in newer legalese, and declare them precedent. Obama's guilt will not be expunged until the guilty are punished. His refusal to take legal action, or to authorize Mr. Holder to seek a special prosecutor, is evidence of corruption. A different species of corruption than the ones we are used to from the past 16 years of executive governance, but corruption nonetheless. Obama has given us a reason to fear him. Something I didn't expect to happen so early in his tenure.

And, he has insulted every American by excusing his inaction in persuing executive-sanctioned criminality as looking backward as a time when he wants to look forward. Sorry, during the campaign he droned on and on about the need for the government to return to the rule of law. But, I suppose I, too, am guilty of looking backward.

At least Bagram has a name

Submitted by nightgaunt on Sat, 2009-04-25 14:47.
Just imagine all of those CIA black sites that are unknown and unnamed? Those need to be emptied and published an entire inventory of them and who they contain before they are freed and now is too late. 7 years too late.