Posted on 06/07/2005 1:41:51 PM PDT by Blue Turtle
ATLANTA - Former President Jimmy Carter on Tuesday called for the United States to shut down its Guantanamo Bay prison to demonstrate the country's commitment to protecting human rights.
"Despite President George W. Bush's bold reminder that America is determined to promote freedom and democracy around the world, the U.S. continues to suffer terrible embarrassment and a blow to our reputation as a champion of human rights because of reports concerning abuses of prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo," Carter said in a news conference following the close of a two-day human rights conference at his Atlanta center.
In addition to closing Guantanamo Bay and two dozen other secret detention facilities, the former president said the United States needs to make sure no detainees are held incommunicado and that they all be told the charges against them.
His other recommendations included that the United States stop transferring detainees to foreign countries where torture has been reported and that an independent commission be created to investigate where terrorism suspects are held in U.S. custody.
Carter also said the United States should reaffirm its commitment to due process and international law, and assure that the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners are enforced.
Carter said many countries, including the United States, are using the campaign against terrorism as an excuse to restrict freedoms and silence human rights activists.
"In fact, combating terrorism, defending human rights and ensuring our collective security go hand in hand," Carter said.
The former president also pointed out abuses in other countries, including:
_ In Indonesia, efforts to reform the state intelligence body are being resisted in the name of safeguarding security.
_In conflict zones such as Chechnya and Colombia, crimes against humanity, and the targeting of human rights activists, are justified as counterterrorism.
_Persistent poverty contributes to insecurity and violence in countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, and Uzbekistan.
A delegation of human rights defenders from around the world will be in Washington on Wednesday to present their testimony to key leaders of the U.S. government.
Despite his criticism of the Guantanamo Bay prison, Carter said Amnesty International should not have called it "the gulag of our time" when the describing the facility in a report last month.
Calling it "an ill-advised term," Carter said the abuses said to take place at Guantanamo Bay could never compare with the Soviet-era gulags, where thousands of people died.
"I think it's unfortunate that their choice of words has become the focal point of the debate," Carter said.
"They're not "Prisoners of War". They're "Illegal combatants".
Under the Laws of Land Warfare, they can legally be summarily executed."
I stand corrected. Excellent, let's go to work then.
This has nothing to do with trials or courts or anything of a civilian, legalistic nature. They are POW's. How many German POW's did we release before 5/8/1945?
"I Thank God this man is not President!"
This man was Puppet President - David Rockefeller pulled the strings. David had free access to both the Carter White House and the Krushchev Kremlin.
STFU, jimmy.
Freaking Idiot..
You're half-right. We can only kill them.
Turn these guys loose and they are right back in the game killing the good guys. Turning them loose is not an option.
Roger that. You'll get zero argument on me of your comments.
The only thing that needs to be closed is Jimmy Carter's pie hole.
Why don't we house the terrorists in your basement and we'll see how fast you'll change your opinon.
Giving the Panama Canal away, and it is now run by the Chinese.
Stabbing the Shah in the back, giving us the mullahs of Iran, the hostage crisis, and subsequently the war on terror.
Mortgage interest rates of 18% or more, hence a stagnant housing market.
Gas lines.
All thermostats turned up in summer and down in winter.
No Christmas lights.
Amy Carter, Miss Lillian, and Billy.
Roselyn always looking like Miss Prunes and Prisms, sitting in on cabinet meetings.
Bert Lance
Killer rabbit
That dreadful "mailaise" speech, blaming US for having a bad attitude!
Pardoning all the draft dodgers, so they could come home and act like they were heroes, vote, and get university professorships.
Carter carrying his own bags (which we later discovered were empty).
Carter's shock that the Russians invaded Afghanistan, and his big retaliation was NO OLYMPICS.
The Carter Presidency was like dog years; each year seemed like seven.
I think Jimmah did enough by allowing the Islamofascist take over Iran. So STFU.
Dear Democrats: Just shut it! We don't need your advice on Guantanamo. If you think the issue has traction, it does: with the liberals who already vote Democrat in every election.
Affirmative Action for Idiots Week?
Regards,
GtG
You're right. Gitmo is most likely by far the most humane prison in all of Cuba. Heck, those prisoners probably have better living conditions than most Cubans.
They're not Prisoners of War.
They're Illegal Combatants, subject, under the internationally-agreed laws of land warfare, to summary execution.
No problemo :)
I just don't see the point to holding them. They're like a constant source of irritation with their whining about their Korans and stupid crap like that. Mike Savage was reading from the DoD instructions for how to handle a Koran for a POW. "like a delicate work of art" or some crap like that. Either they're guilty, in which case they should be executed, or they're innocent, in which case we shouldn't be holding them. It's like a lot of other things with our government - we don't seem to be able to take real action that means something.
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