Guantanamo: most of the detainees were never criminals in the first place...

When a federal judge ordered the release of 17 Guantánamo Bay detainees earlier this month, it was the first real chance in the seven-year history of the prison camp that any of the prisoners might be transferred to the United States. In making his ruling, the judge categorically rejected the Bush administration’s claim that any of the released prisoners, who are all Chinese Muslims, were “enemy combatants” or posed a risk to U.S. security. The decision was temporarily suspended by the appeals court, but the judge was on solid ground.

Controversy over the Bush administration’s policy to detain enemy combatants at Guantánamo has raged since the facility opened in 2002—fueled primarily by the lack of legal protections afforded the detainees and allegations of their mistreatment. Often overlooked, however, is the fact that most of these detainees have never posed any real risk to America, for the simple reason that the vast majority of them were never “enemy combatants” in the first place. Indeed, striking new data we have obtained show that, if anything, the 17 innocent Chinese men are far from exceptional. More...

See also:

1. Torture widespread all over the planet...
2. 17 Chinese Muslims freed from Guantanamo. Chinese Muslims ... in Guantanamo?
3. Six years in Guantanamo ... for refusing to be a spy
4. Are children being kept prisoners in Guantanamo Bay?
5. Welcome to Taliban Towers at Guantanamo Bay...