The recent news of three deaths in Guantanamo has once again drawn attention to the prison facility and its role in the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcWar on Terror.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 A number of articles published in several different newspapers explore from different angles the causes and effects of these deaths. Ultimately, they raise the questions: what caused the death of these men and who is responsible?<\/p>\n
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In an article in the Washington Post<\/em> (Family of Guantanamo Detainee Doubts He Took His Own Life<\/a>), the family of one of the deceased Saudi detainees questions the likelihood of their son committing suicide. The family doubts the US military\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s claim that he committed suicide, suggesting he was beaten to death. His sister gives no credence to the suicide allegations protesting, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153He had memorized the Koran by heart. He was a strong believer. How could he take his own life and spend eternity in hell?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The family is now insisting on an independent autopsy to determine the cause of death. In the absence of a full, independent, and transparent autopsy, it is understandable that family members would question whether the man really did commit suicide or if he was murdered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a former detainee describes in a New York Tim<\/em>es op-ed piece (Detainees in Despair<\/a>), it is possible that the despair and hopelessness is so strong in Guantanamo that even the most devout may lose hope in this life. Mourad Benchellali, a French national, describes how he ended up in Guantanamo and what he experienced there. He describes the military\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s manipulation of hope as just another tactic to get the detainees to break. Although he admits that some of the detainees were filled with hatred, he writes, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153the huge majority of the faces I remember\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe ones that haunt my nights\u00e2\u20ac\u201dare of desperation, suffering, incomprehension turned into silent madness.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Whether the three men died due to suicide or foul play, the United States\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 military must take responsibility for creating an environment in which prisoners are mistreated and manipulated into deep despair. However, the immediate response from the military is disheartening. As described in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post (A Prison We Need to Escape<\/a>), the military\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s claim that the suicide was “asymmetric warfare” and “a good PR move” underscores the underlying problems of Guantanamo. David Ignatius argues that both the prisoners and the United States military personnel are dehumanized when justice is prevented. He calls this the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Guantanamo syndrome\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and calls on the America to remember: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The prisoners aren’t all the same, except in one sense: They are human beings and, as such, they have basic human rights.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n