Guantanamo Bay

Unlike most other prison facilities in the United States (or in this case owned by the United States), GTMO detains prisoners for an indefinite amount time and without the chance to have a fair trial. GTMO or Guantanamo Bay is a prison facility that is present in South Cuba, which holds inmates the United States deems especially dangerous or valuable.

Guantanamo was originally established by President George Bush during the War on Terror. Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsefled spearheaded the effort to establish the camp as a result of terror attacks and the goal to use the camp to charge those who were guilty of war crimes. While the camp's original purpose was indeed to protect American liberty in freedom, many have seen a sense of woeful irony present.

Indeed, Guantanamo is often at odds with American ideals. For instance, administrators attempted to hide the names of detainees, but the Freedom of Information Act demanded transparency during the earlier years of the camp. This lack of transparency is only one of the countless other crimes committed and reported on in Guantanamo, the number one issue being torture.

Waterboarding, a well-known painful and inhumane form of torture has been reported to be used at the facility. Among this are use of devices like power drills and threats to detainee's families. Many Human Rights organizations have condemned the facility and commented on American's hypocrisy to keep the facility open, Amnesty International even going as far as to cal the facility the "gulag" of the modern time.

While President Bush and his administration asserted that the camp detainees were not to be afforded their Geneva Convention basic human entitlements, the Supreme Court of the United States has, since 2004, ruled otherwise. The facility can truly be seen as a symbol for many of the liberties that were suspended during Bush's fight against terror.

President Obama, during his time in office, attempted to shut down the facility through a variety of executive actions and memorandums. While he was able to decrease the number of detainees, many were considered too "dangerous" to move to other areas. The facility remained open, with certainly less prisoners, throughout his Presidency.

On the other hand, President Trump has been advised to stop the transfers that Obama has started during his administration. It remains to be seen how Guantanamo will play a role in the future of our country, if any.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/guantanamo-bay