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Barack Obama on Guantanamo
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• President-elect Obama has announced his intentions to close Guantanamo and either prosecute or release detainees. • Obama has been critical of U.S. detention policies and says too many prisoners languish in Guantanamo without fair trials. • As a senator, Obama voted YES on preserving habeus corpus for Guantanamo detainees. He stated, "Why don't we close Guantanamo and restore the right of habeas corpus, because that's how we lead, not with the might of our military, but the power of our ideals and the power of our values. It's time to show the world we're not a country that ships prisoners in the dead of night to be tortured in far off countries. We're not a country that runs prisons which locks people away without ever telling them why they're there or what they're charged with. We're not a country which preaches compassion to others while we allow bodies to float down the streets of major American cities. That's not who we are." • He strongly opposes the use of interrogation methods that cause physical or emotional suffering. • Obama voted YES on requiring CIA reports on detainees & interrogation methods. Amendment to provide for congressional oversight of certain Central Intelligence Agency programs. • In May 2008 while campaigning in North Carolina, Obama said, “We can set the highest standards around the world for human rights and rule of law and close Guantanamo and restore habeas corpus." |
