The release of a few long-exonerated prisoners from Guantanamo, prompted by a long-term prison hunger strike, has been hailed by many as a sign of its imminent closing. As a family member of a victim murdered on 9/11, I reject congratulating this administration, and ask — when will we see real justice after 12 years of this shameful gulag? Where is restitution for those released without any charge? The Military Commissions court has been laboring for years to invent a new form of justice to try some prisoners, when they could have been tried and judged fairly in federal courts long ago. GTMO prisoners are all Muslims, and Muslims are being targeted by U.S. drones strikes in Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan, energizing those who say America is waging a religious war. Isn’t it time we Americans resolve to close Guantanamo and make amends to live peacefully with our neighbors on this small planet?
By Valerie Lucznikowska