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WYDEN STATEMENT
ON GUANTANAMO BAY DETENTION FACILITY
June 27, 2005
Washington, DC – At a
press conference today, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) issued
the following statement regarding his recent trip to Cuba and
his visit to the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay:
Senator [Ben] Nelson [D-Neb.]
and I spent three days in Cuba and returned last evening. We spent
all of yesterday touring Camp Delta, exploring past practices
and observing current ones in dealing with so-called “detainees,”
and discussing the challenges faced by our military personnel.
It is my opinion that closing
the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay would result in less accountability
in the treatment of those prisoners, not more.
The question we have to ask
is whom do we trust most to treat these prisoners humanely –
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt, or the United States?
Despite multiple instances of
unacceptable practices in the past by U.S. personnel at Guantanamo,
based on what I learned and observed I strongly prefer the improved
procedures and conditions at Camp Delta to the outsourcing of
prisoner interrogation to countries with a far less firm commitment
to human rights. I feel very good about Kristan Seymour from Portland,
Oregon, now a guard at Camp Delta, or Michael Edmondson from Medford,
or Nathan Blair from Vancouver, Washington, and I’m not
convinced that their counterparts in the countries I just mentioned
share the values of these wonderful young people I met with yesterday.
There are many things that need
to occur to further ensure the proper administration of the men
who are being held there, including vigorous and concerted congressional
oversight of practices at Guantanamo and other U.S. facilities
where similar prisoners are housed.
However, the most urgent task
now is for Congress to articulate what reasons can justify holding
these prisoners, and for Congress to finally establish the precise
legal status of these prisoners.
I agree with the Bush administration
in part – and disagree with the Bush administration in part
– with regard to these prisoners.
The Bush administration is
correct when they say these are unique circumstances. We are in
a war and these are not your garden-variety criminal defendants.
Where I disagree with the Bush
administration is that just because it is a war doesn’t
mean there shouldn’t be any concrete rules. Even in a war,
reasonable Democrats and Republicans ought to be able to come
together and establish a precise legal status for these and future
prisoners; a status that has a concrete basis in law.
Finally, I want to stress that
we should recognize the very hard work being done by thousands
of dedicated servicemen and servicewomen at our base in Guantanamo.
In addition to those who operate at Camp Delta, there are thousands
of personnel working in a large variety of capacities at the Guantanamo
base to keep our nation secure. Base Commander McCoy and the officers
at Guantanamo do an excellent job working to improve the quality
of life and maintain morale at the base. Now Congress needs to
do its part by remembering the considerable sacrifice made under
difficult conditions by these sailors and soldiers, and by stepping
in to address the issues regarding the treatment and status of
foreign prisoners so that our service men and women are not unfairly
associated with the errors of their government.
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