President Barack Obama yesterday signed three landmark executive orders mandating the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison, shutting down all CIA prisons and banning the use of torture. The orders signaled a sharp reversal of the controversial Bush administration "war on terror" policies launched in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Signing the Guantanamo order which also halted any further military hearings of the inmates, Obama said he was setting in place a process by which the camp "will be closed no later than one year from now."
But many of the prisoners could find themselves released a lot sooner, as the order establishes a process to review their cases "with the goal of disposing of the detainees before closing the facility."
"The order sets up an immediate review to determine whether it is possible to transfer detainees to third countries, consistent with national security," a White House summary said. "If transfer is not approved, a second review will determine whether prosecution is possible and in what forum."
If any of the remaining inmates, about 245 according to the Pentagon, cannot be transferred or prosecuted, then the review coordinated by the attorney general and the defense secretary will look at lawful ways of dealing with them.
Obama also ordered that those remaining in the prison in southern Cuba, which was opened in January 2002, will from now on be treated under the terms of the Geneva Conventions.
| Bad move: they don't qualify for protection under the Geneva protocols. It's a bad precedent. |
In a separate order he shuttered all CIA prisons operating abroad which were used for the secret renditions of "war on terror" suspects via third countries to Guantanamo Bay. The order "states that the CIA shall close as expeditiously as possible any detention facility that it currently operates and shall not operate any such detention facility in the future," a senior administration official told reporters.
And Obama commanded that all US agencies were to provide access to detainees to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In prohibiting torture, Obama ruled that no advice on interrogations issued between September 11, 2001 and Tuesday's inauguration by the Department of Justice or any other legal body remained relevant. A new task force will also be set up to examine the details of the interrogation guidelines set out in the Army Field Manual to decide whether new rules need to be issued for the CIA. |