Here There Are No Eyes: President Obama fails to close Guantanamo Bay as promised

On Monday, March 7, 2011 President Obama signed an Executive Order that would keep Guantanamo Bay open and proceeding in the same manner as it did under the Bush administration.  

This includes Military Commission hearings and the ability to detain prisoners indefinitely. Administration officials deem the detentions necessary due to, "new information," although critics argue that very little new information is gained while a prisoner is in captivity and that this is simply a stalling method.  

When President Obama was running for office he was quoted as saying that Guantanamo's system was, "an enormous failure." Just two days into his presidency, Obama vowed to shut down Guantanamo and move the prisoners into maximum-security prisons within the United States.   

This system will remain the same, but the name has been changed. Formally trials were labeled as, Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs). They will now be known as the Periodic Review Board (PRB). Critics claim that simply changing the name will not change the abuse. 

Detainees unfortunate enough to be facing indefinite detention are not allowed any legal representation unless the detainee can afford it. Nor will a public defender be supplied in the absence of financial need. A recent New York Times post said, "The prisoners themselves have protested through hunger strikes, riots and suicide." 

To President Obama's credit, he has officially banned interrogations of a "brutal nature." Also, increasing safeguards for defendants, which would include reviews of prisoner cases.

"I don't think that Guantanamo should be closed. I mean it sucks that people are being detained that potentially are not terrorists," says Plymouth State University Senior Jasmine McLaughlin. McLaughlin continued on to argue against people that believe prisons such as Guantanamo can be successively used as a deterrent to potential terrorists.   

Guantanamo Bay came into existence in 1903. America leased land from Cuba during the Spanish Civil War. When Fidel Castro sided with the communist ideals America held onto Guantanamo. This made it a microcosm in the middle of unfriendly territory for America.  

Guantanamo Bay started receiving mass attention after the September 11th attacks. Under the Bush administration Guantanamo become the main prison for any people suspected of being terrorists.      

Rachel Griffin, a First year at PSU, expressed her concern, "I think that it is wrong that he lied to get votes. And then went back on his promise like that. I understand that they are terrorists but they are still people."  

Over 170 prisoners currently reside in Guantanamo Bay. Reportedly 48 of those prisoners will remain in detention indefinitely.