One of the worst experiences of my otherwise wonderful university days was the daily commute from home to college using Delhi’s notorious city buses. (It was common for us to live at home and attend local universities, especially when you lived in big cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai etc where most good schools are located.) Except for the super rich, college students did not own cars in those days and we all made use of the public transport system. Apart from rude drivers and conductors, the bus ride for young women was made particularly unpleasant by nasty passengers who thought nothing of verbally and physically abusing women. To fend off the unwelcome attention, most school girls and young women preferred to travel in groups. One morning, a friend of mine was being persistently pestered by a man who insisted on making body contact with her in a crowded bus. After a while my friend turned around and threatened to punch him in the face. The man replied, without batting an eyelid, "You should be the one to watch out. Your ribs are crushing my elbow !"
I was reminded of that shameless man and his chutzpah this morning when I read the following story in today’s Houston Chronicle. Speaking of the three recent suicides by one Yemeni and two Saudi prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility, some US officials defended the illegal incarceration and blamed the deaths on the mens’ own criminal mentality and lack of regard for human life.
"THE military prison at Guantanamo Bay was established in 2002 to hold detainees in the war against terror indefinitely, without charge and without access to legal counsel. It marked a fundamental departure from both American and international law. Subsequent events have shown it to be a human rights and public relations disaster that has badly tarnished the image of the United States in the eyes of the world.
Early Saturday morning, two Saudis and a Yemeni hung themselves in their Guantanamo Bay cells using bedding and clothing. They were the first deaths to be reported at the U.S. enclave on the island of Cuba; 23 prisoners unsuccessfully attempted suicide in 2003. Intermittent hunger strikes continue at the facility, where participating prisoners are now routinely strapped into chairs and force-fed through stomach tubes, according to reporting by The New York Times.
The U.N. committee against torture issued a report last month accusing the United States of employing interrogation methods at Guantanamo that violate international treaties banning torture, and called for the closing of the facility. The sentiment has been echoed by U.S. allies, including Britain’s Tony Blair and Germany’s Angela Merkel. President George W. Bush has indicated he would consider closing Guantanamo after the Supreme Court rules on the fate of the detainees.
A British prisoner who was later released was ejected from his tribunal for quoting international law. The tribunal president told him, "I don’t care about international law. I don’t want to hear the words ‘international law’ again."
The reaction of several U.S. officials to the suicides should embarrass Americans who believe in due process and humane treatment of prisoners. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomacy Colleen Graffy told the British Broadcasting Service the prisoners "don’t value their own life and they certainly don’t value ours … There were means and methods for protestation, and certainly taking their own lives was not necessary. But it certainly is a good PR move to draw attention."
Guantanamo Bay’s commander, Rear Adm. Harry Harris, sounded a similar note: "I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."
After the remarks by both officials triggered criticism from international media and human rights groups, a U.S. State Department spokesman sought to soften the rhetoric. "We would not say it was a P.R. stunt," said Sean McCormack. "We have serious concerns anytime anybody takes their own life."
In other words, it is all their fault for not shutting up and quietly accepting their imprisonment without trial and whatever treatment the US military sees fit to mete out. Matt at Cerulean Blue chronicles the "take no responsibility and blame others for all your blunders" mindset of the Bush administration in a great post, "Asymmetric Logic."
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