Just Imagine

I don't remember the last time our torture facility at Guantanamo Bay made it into the mainstream news. Actually I think I do remember, it was during one of the Republican debates when all of the Republican nominees were trying to outdo each other on who could do the most to continue torturing people at Guantanamo Bay, and I believe Mitt Romney won when he said if elected president he would double it in size.

Despite the media blockout on our Republican government's unlawful detentions and torture, hundreds of prisoners remain in US custody, most without charge or the right of habeas corpus. Here is one of the "lucky" ones, meaning he was actually freed, but not until being imprisoned and abused by the US government for six and a half years, oh, and he didn't do anything wrong, he was a reporter in a war zone, and he was released without charge, after 6.5 years.

From Amnesty International:

On May 1st, Sami al Hajj was released from Guantánamo Bay prison after six and a half years in detention. Al Hajj was a focus of our write-a-thon in December and was adopted by Amnesty groups across the country.

Sami was a journalist for the television station al-Jazeera. In 2002, he was assigned to cover the conflict in Afghanistan. While traveling in Pakistan, Sami al Hajj was stopped by Pakistani police and detained.

He was handed over to U.S. forces, taken to Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, and ultimately to Guantánamo He was never charged with a crime, yet was held and allegedly tortured for six years.

Upon being released, Sami flew to Khartoum, Sudan. His health was in such bad condition that he had to be carried off on a stretcher.

Can you imagine being snatched up for no reason and imprisoned and possibly tortured for six and a half years without being accused of anything, without being told why you were being held, and without any right to challenge your unlawful detention? Can you imagine being so powerless? Can you imagine languishing for six and a half years of your life? This guy probably had a family, can you imagine being away from your family for six and a half years? Six and a half years with no contact, no way to communicate with the outside world? And then imagine having no idea if you'd be there for another six and a half years or the rest of your life. It is no wonder with such hopelessness that so many prisoners have attempted suicide, and a few have been successful. Just try to put yourself in these people's shoes, and multiple this case by hundreds. Then add countless ultra-secretive "black sites" spread around the world. Then add Abu Ghraib.

And now think of how much anti-American sentiment our policy of indefinite arbitrary imprisonment and torture produces abroad, especially in the Middle East. Ponder how many new terrorists these policies have produced.

And now thank the Republicans.