Guantanamo Bay Research Paper

Submitted By marionmax
Words: 4698
Pages: 19
Open Document
Guantanamo Bay
“ I LEFT Guantánamo Bay much as I had arrived almost five years earlier — shackled hand-to-waist, waist-to-ankles, and ankles to a bolt on the airplane floor. My ears and eyes were goggled, my head hooded, and even though I was the only detainee on the flight this time, I was drugged and guarded by at least 10 soldiers. This time though, my jumpsuit was American denim rather than Guantánamo orange ... How did I arrive at this point?” (Kurnaz 1).
Murat Kurnaz is not a terrorist and has never been a member of Al Qaeda or even supported them. He doesn't even understand their ideas. Back in 2001, before the 9/11 attacks Murat made plans to travel to Pakistan to study the Koran alongside a religious group. Being a naive 19 year old, Murat did not think that the war in Afghanistan would interfere with his trip to Pakistan. So he went ahead with his trip.
Murat was on his way to the airport, on a public bus, to return to Germany when the police stopped the bus he was in. He was the only non-Pakistani on the bus and with his bright red hair, it was very obvious he was out of place. The police asked him to step off the bus to look through his papers as well as ask some questions. Murat had been told by Journalist that this same things had happened to them, so he explained to the police he was not a journalist, but a tourist. At this point the police detained Murat but promised him they would soon let him go to the airport. A few days later the Pakistanis turned him over to the American officials. At this point he was very much relieved to be in American hands; Americans, he thought, would treat him fairly.
Later Murat learned that the U.S. paid a $3,000 bounty for his capture. At the time of his detainment the U.S. had distributed fliers all around Afghanistan, that basically promised that people who turned over Taliban or Al Qaeda suspects would, in the words of one flier “Get enough money to take care of your family, your village, your tribe for the rest of your life” (Kurnaz 2). A great number of men, ended up in Guantanamo as a result of these fliers, no women were transported to Guantanamo, just men.
First Murat was taken to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where he was asked the same questions for many weeks by American interrogators. “Where is Osama bin Laden?” “Was I with Al Qaeda?” Murat explained over and over he was not with Al Qaeda and he had no idea where Bin Laden was. He pleaded with the interrogators to contact Germany so they could figure out who he really was. During the interrogations, the Americans dunked his head under water and punched him in the stomach. Though the Americans never called this “waterboarding”, it is infact the same thing. During the tortuous waterboarding, Murat recalls, “I was sure I would drown.” Murat endured various types of torture. One instance he recalls being, “Chained to the ceiling of a building and hung by my hands for days” (Kurnaz 2). The pain was unbearable. Every so often a Doctor would check on him to make sure he was not dead. Then he would be chained to the ceiling again.
Murat was transferred to Guantanamo after a two month stay in Kandahar. The interrogations continued with the same questions over and over. Though he told his story time and time again, his name, family, why he was in Pakistan, nothing he said satisfied them. So continued the endless beatings, freezing temperatures and extreme heat, solitary confinement, forced sleeplessness.
In virtually every armed conflict, people are caught and forcefully held against their will. Historically, the question that follows has been, “What to do with the captured prisoners?” The war that has unfolded in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks has been radical and untraditional, but the question remains the same. What is Obama and his administration going to with the detainees being held at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks sparked the “War on Terror”. A
Show More

Related Documents: Guantanamo Bay Research Paper

Guantanamo Bay: Torture Accusations Essay

Guantanamo Bay: Why President Obama Cannot Shut it Down. Guantanamo Bay, also, known as GITMO, is a United States naval station, that was leased out in an agreement by the US and Cuban government in 1903. It was originally a naval station that was intended for coaling and mining. However, fast forward to, 2002, GITMO became an established controversial detention camp, where international terrorists are held. The Bush administration initially offered three explanations for their decision to establish…

Words 760 - Pages 4

Barack Obama's inaction on Guantanamo Bay Essay

Guantanamo Bay lives on A new report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has revealed that there is now enough space for the 166 detainees to be moved from Guantanamo Bay, the infamous detention camp. Commissioned by Senator Dianne Feinstein, the report details up to six military prisons and 98 Justice Department prisons all across America, that have available space and security requirements. The study shows that US prisons already hold up to 378 prisoners convicted for terrorism…

Words 908 - Pages 4

Article: Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp and Whitewashing Omar Khadr Essay

into the public eye. Having completed his U.S. sentence in October 2011, Omar Khadr could return to Canada at any time. He may well be released, thanks to a lenient system that will likely credit him for the time he has served awaiting trial in Guantanamo Bay. With Parliament back in session, Levant brings his razor-sharp perspective to bear on a story that is vital to our notions of citizenship and justice, and to our national security. --- So, what can we expect to happen with Omar Khadr when he…

Words 1805 - Pages 8

I hate myself Essay

Guantanamo Boy- Live Theatre Review On 6th November 2013, my drama class and I attended a theatre production play called ‘Guantanamo Boy’ at the Half Moon Theatre. Guantanamo Boy is based on a Novel, written by Anna Peera, with a theatrical adaptions made by Dominic Hingorani. The play is based on true event based on the 9/11 attack. The story revolves around a boy called Khalid, (Antonio Khela) a fifteen-year-old Muslims boy from Rochdale, who is abducted from Pakistan whilst on holiday with…

Words 2270 - Pages 10

Arguments Against Torture

We are in the 21st century and yet we hear stories quite often of terrorist suspects who are still being tortured in prisons. The main argument against torture is that it mitigates a suspected terrorist's rights as a human being. Can this torturous behavior ever be justified? In my opinion, terrorists should not be tortured because the torture may cause them to lie in their confession in order for the torturing stops. According to a publication on The Huffington Post, respondents in a new Reuters/Ipsos…

Words 708 - Pages 3

Habeas Corpus and The War On Terror Essay

corpus through the passage of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, and after September 11th, 2001, it became harder for prisoners of Guantanamo Bay to have access to habeas corpus. The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 and the Military Commissions Act of 2006 further narrowed the scope of habeas relief, providing that prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay may not access the federal courts through habeas corpus; instead, they must go through the military commissions and then seek appeal in the D…

Words 1923 - Pages 8

Should The United States Survive Without A Constitution

The U.S. Constitution established America’s government. It is responsible for the fundamental laws and guarantees basic rights for U.S. citizens. I believe that our government would be very different than it is today. We as humans need some framework from the government to tell us what we can and cannot do. There would be no foundation for our government to build on if there was no national constitution. It wouldn’t state how the government should be run. It would be complete chaos. I believe that…

Words 654 - Pages 3

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Radiolab

point clear and to keep their audience captivated and engaged. Instead of using generalized statements to describe the consequences of these 60 broad words, Radiolab cites specific examples and analyzes them in detail. When Radiolab referenced Guantanamo Bay, their argument was strengthened tremendously. They examine how the phrase “all necessary and appropriate force” was actually the cause for this tragic event. They specifically focus on one word: force. Radiolab shows how the meaning of a word…

Words 597 - Pages 3

Myr Khadr Inhumane

sentence in a foreign prison has caused an uproar. Khadr was left in Guantanamo Bay, a US military prison in Cuba, to be abused, used as a mop to clean urine and threatened by gang rape by the prison guards. People are misinterpreting the law and the dispersion of the compensation by the government as diabolical because he is a convicted terrorist. However, the US had charged Omar Khadr of murder in violation of war law at Guantanamo bay for apparently killing Christopher Speer, US Delta Force at the…

Words 289 - Pages 2

The Geneva Conventions Detainee's Rights For Prisoners Of War

the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples (ICRC). Finally, CA3 requires that the wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for (ICRC). Along with the safeguards embodied in the Geneva Conventions, the Guantánamo prisoners, like other captured prisoners, should be protected by all other international human rights treaties to which the United States is a signatory. The decision to abandon the Geneva Conventions and other international legal requirements represents…

Words 1365 - Pages 6