Assigned Blog Topic - Torture - Blogs

The dictionary definition of waterboarding is: an interrogation technique in which water is forced into a detainee's mouth and nose so as to induce the sensation of drowning. So usually the interrogators pour water over the detainees face until they 'spill the beans', so to speak. This is not the only way to torture a prisoner to get information - others include faking executions, threatening to kill or assault family members, threatening with weapons/dogs, isolation, "depriving" of senses, beating, etc.Guantanamo Bay is one of many holding areas, where torture is often used on suspected terrorists. It was created in 2001 under the Bush administration, and many uses of torture were legalized for it. It was often criticized by rights groups for not recognizing human rights and for not following the Geneva Convention. Many of the people in the camp were completely innocent - one of several reasons Obama issued an order for it to be closed. Unfortunately, about 200 prisoners remain in Guantanamo Bay, a whole year after the issued order. Plans to free the remaining prisoners continue, and hopefully they will be home again by January of 2010.Dick Cheney's comments on Guantanamo Bay were quite defensive, supporting Bush's decisions. He reportedly said in 2002 that the prisoners held there were "the worst of a bad lot". Apparently, every single one of them was "very dangerous" and "devoted to killing millions of Americans." In fact, he had very little proof of this, do to a lack of charge and trial for the prisoners currently held there at the time. None of the prisoners had any legal rights and were treated very harshly.

Picture of holding cell in Guantanamo Bay.

Video recount of Mohammed Al Gharani's prison experience in Guantanamo Bay. He was the youngest prisoner there in all seven years, being captured at the age of 14 in 2002.I just can't believe stuff like this could happen, and still be legal. Of course, it isn't anymore, thanks to Obama, so at least he knows what he's doing in some areas as president. Anyway, the stuff they did to people for no particular reason is just inhumane. Most times, the victims were totally innocent and had no reason to be in prison, but they couldn't do anything about it for the longest time, because they were not given normal rights. They weren't given rights because they weren't on American soil and they weren't Americans. But just because they were being held in Cuba should mean nothing. That camp (and probably many others as well) should have never existed. They ruined the lives of too many people. I mean sure, maybe some of them deserved to be there, but not in such bad conditions.

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