Prohibition of Torture in the case of Guantanamo Bay - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... As much as people tend to think that it is something of the past, it indeed happens more than it is thought of. Democratic countries such the United States of America which are said to uphold human rights are in fact culprits of condoning torture. For example, there has been a lot of evidence through videos leaked through the internet and other forms of media that implicate the United States of America condoning torture in Guantanamo bay. The first Government official to accept that indeed torture did take place in Guantanamo bay detention camp was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. What is the Guantanamo Bay Detention camp? After the 2001 terrorist attack, the United States government opened a military interrogation and detainment camp in the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.2 This camp was meant for holding and interrogating detainees suspected to be terrorists. This mainly focused on the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Guantanamo Bay detention camp is divided into three sections, that is; Camp X-ray camp delta and camp Iguana. Camp iguana was meant to hold detainees considered to be children (those under the age of 16 years). “Camp X-ray was the first section set up to detain suspected terrorist but was later replaced by camp delta since it was a temporarily section.”3 The first detainees to be detained in Guantanamo bay detention camp were brought on January 11, 2002....
One characteristic in the two is the use of torture. In the Middle East, Israel can be used as an example. This is because; Israel is also sensitive to terrorist attacks as much as the United States of America. This is as a result of its conflicts with her neighbors especially Palestine. In both scenarios detention of terror suspects is done without any court process. In the Middle East, there are various methods of torture. One such method is suffocating of suspects using a towel and water during interrogation. This is where a prisoner is held down or strapped facing upward and his face covered with a towel or a cloth. Water is then poured on the towel. “The process of water interrogation creates a drowning feeling……...’ The same is done in Guantanamo Bay detention camp. In both Guantanamo Bay detention camp and detention camps in Israel, water interrogation is the most used form of torture during interrogation. In the Middle East detainees are also emotionally tortured, and they are subjected to a lot of humiliation. For example, in Iraq, there have been reports of women detainees being stripped naked. Iraqi soldiers and policemen are known for their inhumane way of handling detainees and prisoners. They mistreat them to the extent of even urinating on them. The same was going on in Guantanamo bay detention camp. Lesser Ethics in Relation to Torture and the Geneva Conventions Terrorism has brought about a new debate not only in the United States of America, but in the whole world as well. This is because the Geneva Convention prohibits torture of any soldier, detainee, civilian and prisoners of war. The Geneva conventions are treaties signed by the international community. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More