Guantanamo prisoners attempted mass suicide

In a mass protest in August of 2003 there was a mass suicide attempt at guantanamo bay!

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Twenty-three terror suspects tried to hang or strangle themselves at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay during a mass protest in 2003, the military confirmed Monday.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

This news make it see more and more that much goes on at Guantanamo Bay that the world should know about. It is more like a concentration camp then a military prison. What else is happening there that we will never know about?

Originally posted by jeeze louise
This news make it see more and more that much goes on at Guantanamo Bay that the world should know about.

Why? Muslims are supposed to be particularly distraught over being 'useless', these guys are nothing, so its to be expected that some would try to kill themselves. They're also taliban/qaida troopers, so they can be expected to prefer matyrdom over dying in prison.

It is more like a concentration camp then a military prison.

And what is the difference?

Nygdan- A concentration camp is a illegal place where no laws are acknowledged or upheld, no one answers to anything. A prison has guidelines and rules and the prisoners have rights. There are NO rights in a concentration camp.

Originally posted by jeeze louise
This news make it see more and more that much goes on at Guantanamo Bay that the world should know about. It is more like a concentration camp then a military prison. What else is happening there that we will never know about?

Nothing good can ever come from prisoners being held as "unlawful combatants"- made up words, instead of treating them humanely as required by the Geneva Conventions. I am not surprised that they tried to kill themselves.

Gitmo and Abu Ghraib are only two of the disasters of US foreign policy and the war on terror. Hope BushCo. will all still be alive when its time to pay the piper. The day is coming. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Nothing good can ever come from prisoners being held as "unlawful combatants"- made up words, instead of treating them humanely as required by the Geneva Conventions.

I believe that the Geneva Conventions is where the term "unlawful combatants" comes from, it also states the level of treatment that they receive. Basically, if you want to be treated like a prisoner of war wear a uniform and fight for an actual military, if you want to be treated like an "unlawful combatant" then don't wear a uniform, don't fight for a recognised military etc.

"attempted" suicide? My, only true failures fail at such a task....hehe... I suppose that's why they were caught, if they couldn't even manage to kill themselves, seems like they'd suck at killing others....

Seriously though, I jest, and I know for some this is a serious subject...

I believe that the Geneva Conventions is where the term "unlawful combatants" comes from, it also states the level of treatment that they receive. Basically, if you want to be treated like a prisoner of war wear a uniform and fight for an actual military, if you want to be treated like an "unlawful combatant" then don't wear a uniform, don't fight for a recognised military etc.

Yep, and it's a shame to have to stoop to their level on this, but it seems that it's all some understand... Still, I think there's a better way of handling this, but to be honest, like most Americans, I have a hard time finding a soft spot for them, and so I'm sure it will continue... Sucks, I'd like to be all high and mighty in the tower of morality on this one, but to be honest with myself, I really don't give a damn about these guys....

Well, I do not feel sorry for them, not after they stopped a bus load going out of Iraq early in the game with flyers stating kill Americans for money hung a young Iraqi girl, mistreat personers, and excute people without cause.

If they are so guilty why aren't they charged and convicted?

That is BS big time.

Makes sense in a world where nothing seems to go right these days!

Maybe they'll have better luck next time!

Originally posted by jeeze louise
Nygdan- A concentration camp is a illegal place where no laws are acknowledged or upheld, no one answers to anything.

Then there have been no concentration camps.

Concentration camps started with the spanish, they were used in I beleive their carribean possesions to fight against a rebellion. Then the British used them in the boer war to stop the raids of teh commandos. Famously, the nazis used concentration camps. The originally concentrated the jewish population with ghettos, then moved them into concentration camps, and them put them into to forced labour, and eventually made their concentration camps into death camps/extermination camps. A concentration camp is not an extermination camp. Its not a place where there are no 'rules'. its in many ways similiar to a prison, except that its used to control and 'concentrate' a troublesome population, rather than hold criminals. XRAY is, technically, a prison camp, but there are, according to rumour, preparations to make some concentration camps in the middle east.

to control the A prison has guidelines and rules and the prisoners have rights. There are NO rights in a concentration camp.

Hmm, interesting distinction. I suppose that there are some situations where a prison camp affords no rights to its prisoners, but that'd be semantics in a way. However the detainees do have rights, amoung them their universal human rights, and also, according to the SCOTUS, access to federal courts. They can't have their trial proper there, but they can still get access to it.

always learnign
as required by the Geneva Conventions

The geneva conventions are well understood to not apply to these detainees. They are not uniformed troopers in a organized army of a recognized government. They are, legally, petty thugs that the US can, well, send to the other side of the earth and hold indefintely.

skibum believe that the Geneva Conventions is where the term "unlawful combatants" comes from, it also states the level of treatment that they receive.

Really? How very interesting. Do you happen to know the portion or have a link to the relevant part of the text? i'd be interested to see that. I suspected that it might have rules about the rights of rebels in occupied territories, but wasn't sure about just where these guys would fit in.

gazrok
if they couldn't even manage to kill themselves, seems like they'd suck at killing others....

BWA!

I really don't give a damn about these guys....

Well, there are basically two things to keep in mind. One is that, surely, there are innocent people there, apparently some (many?) weren't captured in the field by US troops. Some, supposedly, were turned over by vigilante like gangs in their own towns. Remember Salem? I doubt there is a town in afghanistan (Sa'lem?), but its entirely possibly that innocent people got either caught up in a hysteria or were falsely turned in by domestic enemies. Infact, its more than possible, I think one has to assume that that has happened.

THe other thing is that, well, think about it. Now, an american shouldn't hold too much concern for a person that took up arms against it, but, a lot of these guys, they probably had nothing to do with the greater story here, I mean, they obviously knew what the taliban was all about, supression of women, elimination of proper education, establishing an islamic republic, but that in itself doesn't necessarily require that they be treated poorly. I mean, these guys grew up in a totaly different world system. In a sense, they're brain washed, by their society and culture, to find nothing wrong with what they've done, infact, they at least think that they are on the side of right. In a sense then, they could've been 'good people', if they had any idea as to what right and wrong really was. Not saying that excuses what they've done, not even saying anyone should feel sympathy for them, but, these guys, they're not bin ladin, they're not the master minds. they're the pawn in a greater game. One can tend to feel sad for them if nothing else.

always learning
If they are so guilty why aren't they charged and convicted?

They are being processed, that is, their cases are being reviewed, some have even been let go, others undoubtedly have been processed, found guilty, and will remain there forever possibly.

Originally posted by AlwaysLearning
If they are so guilty why aren't they charged and convicted?

That is BS big time.

Really which is why most of them who have been released have already hooked up with their terrorist buddies, and have returned back to their normal ways of terrorism.

Dont be fooled these are hardened terrorists. They made it there for a reason. No years of solatary can change them. They kill innocent people who have nothing to do with their cause without any remorse. I say we help them out and throw a noose in their cell.

This mass sucide attempt was nothing more than an attention-getting scheme designed to test the mettle of a new group of security guards. Too bad they didn't succeed. Kudos to the new security guards; they must have been well trained.

As far as comparing Gitmo to a concentration camp, can you name one concentration camp that gives the prisoners their own individual prayer mats plus a "culturally adjusted" menu?

his mass sucide attempt was nothing more than an attention-getting scheme designed to test the mettle of a new group of security guards.

I doubt that it was to get attention. If you was locked up and tortured just about every day you'd want a way out too. These people don't have access to a laywer nor are they charged with any crimes. Sure sucks for the person that is in the wrong place at the wrong time then gets arrested and shipped off to Gitmo to be beat and raped by "America's finest."

Too bad they did'nt succeed.....filthy scum!

If I was a guard there, these Jihad punks would get the steel tip of my boot as soon as they wake up and the butt of my M-16 just before they go to bed.

Have we hanged any of them yet??

Maximu§

There have been many posters throwing around the word 'concentration camp' who don't really seem to have a good grasp of what one is. Please everyone, take a minute and look into the history and use of cencentration camps throughout history. They weren't even considered bad things until Hitler tried to disguise his death camps as something innocent. There is a link to Wikipedia below, I'm sure you can find others.

On a side note, I was surprised at some of the countries that were listed as using concentration camps. Is your country listed?

Concentration Camp