Freedom is Freedom!... sometimes.

President Bush - “I expressed my concerns about the case to President Putin because, as I explained to him, here you’re innocent until proven guilty, and it appeared to us, or at least people in my administration, that it looked like he had been judged guilty prior to having a fair trial. In other words, he was put in prison, and then was tried. I think what will be interesting -- and so we’ve expressed our concerns about the system.” (from President’s Press Conference on May 31)

I thought this was one of the great times for our President (and there aren’t many). Here, he was speaking up for the freedom that we have in this country. Let’s overlook the fact that in this country, you can indeed be imprisoned while waiting for trial, and during the trial, but I’m splitting hairs.

Then, Amnesty International accused the United States of running a gulag at Guantanamo Bay. The President responded with this:

“I’m aware of the Amnesty International report, and it’s absurd. The United States is a country that promotes freedom around the world,” and that Washington had “investigated every single complaint against (sic) the detainees.”

“It seemed like (Amnesty) based some of their decisions on the word and allegations by people who were held in detention, people who hate America, people had been trained in some instances to disassemble (sic) -- that means not tell the truth. And so it was an absurd report. It just is”. (source)

Ok. I don’t think anyone will accuse our President of being a great statesman. Moving on...

A day later, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld responded with this:

Rumsfeld said the US military has done more than any other force to liberate oppressed people and has gone to great lengths to ensure detainees are free to practice their religion: “That’s why the recent allegation that the US military is running a gulag at Guantanamo Bay is so reprehensible.”

The executive director of Amnesty International, William F. Schulz, issued a statement in response, saying Rumsfeld and other officials “continue to ignore the very real plight of men detained without charge or trial.” (source)

That’s the real problem. Those being held at Guantanamo Bay have not been given legal counsel or an opportunity for a trial. In other words, they have no way to gain their freedom. That sounds like a gulag to me. That, Mr. Secretary, is what “is so reprehensible”.

Secretary Rumsfeld can sidestep that issue all he wants by saying that all is well because we allow the detainees the freedom to practice their religion. With all due respect, Mr. Secretary, that is not freedom and it is not human rights.

The United States had better find a charge against these people individually, or the United States had better set them free. If we do less at Guantanamo Bay, then yes, our detention camp for these prisoners should be called the United States Gulag at Guantanamo Bay.

Amnesty International Fires Back at Bush
“Evidence continues to mount that the US operates a network of detention centres where people are held in secret or outside any proper legal framework -- from Afghanistan to Iraq and beyond. If President Bush and his administration are serious about freedom and human dignity they should recommit to the rule of law and human rights.”