DEMI JONES
Staff Writer
The smell of salt in the air, sandy beaches stretching for miles, the ocean sparkling under the sun. What does this image bring to mind? A hot vacation spot maybe? Or the view seen every day from Pepperdine? What about the view from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba’s detention facilities?
Dan Caldwell, a professor of social sciences at Pepperdine, toured the detention facilities at Guantanamo in February, as part of a program called the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference. The JCOC is an effort established by the Department of Defense (DOD) in 1948 to inform opinion makers about military programs. DOD chose members from across the country for the public outreach program and it was extremely selective. To join JCOC one must be nominated by one of the major offices of DoD or a JCOC alumni. Members are typically influential in the country and have some expertise in DoD or “strong” relationships with senior members of the military. According to the JCOC website (http://jcoc.dod.mil), “JCOC participants attend briefings by senior military and civilian officials followed by hands-on experience observing exercises, participating in training and interacting with troops stationed across the globe.”
Guantanamo currently holds 397 detainees presumed dangerous to the United States. The detainees are all considered a direct threat to the United States.
During Caldwell’s visit to Guantanamo he met with leaders, officials and military personnel along with touring the base and the facilities.
Upon first glance, Caldwell admitted to being impressed with the contrast between the detention facilities and the beautiful view.
“I was struck with the multi-sided nature of the place,” Caldwell said. “Beautiful spot—but it’s a prison.”
Caldwell said there were two main reasons for visiting the facilities in Guantanamo: because the United States government says the “worst of the worst” are kept at Guantanamo, but on the other hand, many civil libertarians believe there is a violation of due process for the detainees. The biggest issue is whether or not they are entitled to due process and habeas corpus.
“I’m concerned about the presumption of guilt,” Caldwell said. “Prisoners [there] are presumed guilty until proven innocent.”
Despite Guantanamo’s shortcomings, Caldwell was surprised at the conditions.
“I thought the prisons were in better shape than I was expecting,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell, in a paper he is currently writing, described the island as consisting of five different Guantanamos: the Cuban, the American military personnel, the detainees/prisoners, lawyers and secrets.
The Cuban Guantanamo relies on the “regularized and proper” relations that exist between the Cuban and American authorities. Although the base once employed 1,000 commuters during the Cuban revolution, only three remain. There is only one entrance/exit to the base and officials meet outside of the gates every three months.
The military side of Guantanamo is typical of any American base. The personnel live with their families and the base has its own high school, along with fast food restaurants such as McDonald’s and Subway.
“It’s like a tropical military base,” Caldwell said. “None were angry about being there.”
Next there are the prisons, which resemble a regular maximum security prison. Originally Guantanamo was the home of Camp X-Ray, the prison camps that shocked the world as the “cells” were merely covered fences, leaving the prisoners exposed to nature. Now that Camp X-Ray has been closed, there are currently three camps, containing six prisons, on Guantanamo, collectively called Camp Delta. The detainees are organized into the different camps based on the level of threat they impose on the United States.
Guantanamo gives rise to many questions about the treatment of the detainees, particularly relating to their legal rights. Because most of the detainees are not American citizens and because they are not in the United States they do not receive the rights of American courts. They have no right to an attorney, no right to see classified evidence against them, nor do they have the right to know the identity of their accusers, therefore Caldwell said, “they essentially have no way out.”
The last element of Guantanamo is the “secret” Guantanamo. In this side, Caldwell mentions that Guantanamo currently holds the 14 highest detainees, but the CIA never revealed their locations. Assorted government publications and agencies admit to the presence of “Other Government Agencies” but these agencies are not specified.
Despite the multi-faceted Guantanamo, Caldwell was able to get a flavor for the treatment of the detainees by touring the facilities. In the prisons there is an area for Muslims to worship and each cell comes with prayer mats and a copy of the Quran. There are also arrows throughout the centers pointing to Mecca and the guards allow a quiet time during prayer times.
“They are treated humanely with respect to their religion,” Caldwell said.
The camps also have good medical centers for the prisoners. In Caldwell’s paper he states that the health of the detainees is of great concern to the personnel. The detainees have their own hospital with seven full-time physicians and 150 medical personnel. They have performed 300 surgeries and provide prosthetic devices and physical therapies for those who were injured in combat.
Caldwell also respects and sympathizes with the Joint Task Force (JTF) soldiers working at the base.
“It is a tough job they’re doing,” Caldwell said. “They’re doing their duties, but they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Another concern that Caldwell has for the JTF is that prisoners often want to harm them.
“Detainees are angry at them as a symbol,” Caldwell said.
Therefore, the JTF has to refrain from wearing name tags and calling each other by name while in the centers. The guards are often harassed by the detainees, especially the female guards. In Caldwell’s paper he added: “I marvel at the ability of those connected with JTF to perform their duties.”
Although the conditions of Guantanamo’s camps seem impressive, Caldwell also mentions, “I only saw Guantanamo in the middle of the day.”
As the detainees are held longer, the question of whether their legal treatment is fair continues to grow and create more conflict.
“If you assume they are enemies, they’re treatment is pretty good. If you assume they aren’t, it’s bad,” Caldwell said. “I felt that ambivalence when I was there.
04-23-2007