Thomas Watkins -
Despite a flurry of last-minute releases from Guantanamo Bay, President Barack Obama is set to fail in his quest to close the infamous military detention centre.
One of his first acts as president in 2009 was to issue an executive order to shut the controversial jail within a year, but it is clear it will remain open when he leaves office on Friday.
“I don’t anticipate that we will succeed in that goal of closing the prison, but it’s not for lack of trying,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest told his final media briefing on Tuesday.
Obama’s successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has vowed not just to keep Guantanamo open, but to boost the number of terror suspects housed there — even raising the prospect of US citizens being sent to the facility.
“We’re gonna load it up with some bad dudes, believe me, we’re gonna load it up,” Trump said while campaigning last year.
“President Obama’s legacy on Guantanamo isn’t just about those he transfers, it’s also about those he leaves behind,” Elizabeth Beavers, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International USA, said.
“There is a risk that the prison could become permanent, with those remaining at risk of torture or other ill-treatment.”
The outgoing president had tried to transfer many detainees abroad and bring the most high-value ones to the United States, but funding was blocked by Republicans and even some in his own Democratic party pushed back against closure plans.
An oft-cited reason for keeping Guantanamo open is the recidivism rate. About 30 per cent of detainees released are suspected or confirmed to have re-engaged against US interests, though the rate dropped sharply among those released under Obama.
Obama repeatedly said the controversial prison served as a “recruitment tool” for terrorist organisations and was a waste of money — it currently costs $7 million to keep each detainee there per year.
Retired general James Mattis, who is set to become Trump’s defence secretary, last week said America retains the legal right to capture enemy combatants and hold them as prisoners “for the duration of a war”.
“Long-term detention is appropriate when an unprivileged enemy belligerent poses a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States,” he told lawmakers last week.
But how many new inmates will actually end up in Guantanamo is tough to predict. — AFP
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