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| Guantanamo Detainees Moved to New Prison |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 03/20/2003 |
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The U.S. military has moved 20 prisoners into a new medium-security prison block at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba - an apparent reward for cooperating with interrogators that could lead to their eventual release. The detainees were transferred to the new Camp 4 from an adjacent high-security block of the seaside prison where they are held in individual cells, spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said March 3. The new camp is still under construction. He said the 20 moved late February 28 are 'likely candidates' for 'eventual release,' though it's unclear how soon they could go free. 'These are people who have been cooperative,' Johnson said. 'They are considered a lesser risk.' The new prison block offers rewards including dormitories for communal living, more books and additional showers and recreation time, officials say. Detainees in maximum security get two exercise periods of 15 minutes each week. About 650 men from 43 countries are held at the U.S. naval base in eastern Cuba. All are accused of links to the al-Qaida terrorist network or Afghanistan's fallen Taliban regime, though none have been charged and they have not been allowed lawyers. Sixteen prisoners have tried to commit suicide, some trying more than once for 20 attempts in all, Johnson said. Ten attempts have been made in the last two months. The latest attempt came over the weekend by a prisoner who had tried before, Johnson said. The officers 'immediately intervened and prevented any serious injury from occurring,' Johnson said, declining to give specifics. Another man who tried to hang himself on Jan. 16 is still hospitalized in stable condition, the spokesman said. The prisoners' only contact with relatives is through notes censored by the military and delivered by the International Committee of the Red Cross. Only six people have been freed from Guantanamo. Three Pakistanis and one Afghan were sent home in October because they posed no threat; an Afghan suffering from schizophrenia was sent home last May; and Yaser Esam Hamdi, 22, was released when it was established that he was a U.S. citizen. To encourage remaining detainees, the military says it is offering other rewards for good behavior and cooperation with interrogators. Privileges include chewing gum, extra religious books and peanut butter and jelly, officials say. But American lawyer Michael Ratner, who is representing the families of two Australian and two British prisoners, said 'people should be treated humanely no matter what' and that a transitional jail was unnecessary. 'It's like a rat in a maze - 'We'll give you a piece of cheese if you cooperate,'' said Ratner, who heads the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights. The new prison block will have a capacity of 200 when finished, officials said. It's unclear how soon other detainees could be moved. 'It's good that after a year the U.S. is taking some of these people out of isolation,' said Thomas Wilner, a Washington lawyer hired by the families of 12 Kuwaiti detainees. 'But as U.S. officials have privately acknowledged, many of these people are totally innocent,' Wilner said. 'What's really needed is a process of law so that those who are innocent can establish their innocence and be released.' |
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