Afsan Bhuiyan

Mrs. Latham
English 2010
03/30/2015
Guantanamo Bay Humane Treatment of Terrorists
Guantanamo Bay prison is located in Cuba. After 9/11 George Bush wanted to create a
GITMO(Guantanamo Bay) prison to interrogate terrorists. The GITMO prison is owned by the
U.S since a lease agreement was signed. The camps have great facilities that detainees receive,
and the detainees that cooperate will be transferred to a better camp. The U.S interrogates the
detainees by waterboarding, forced nudity, sleep deprivation, temperature extremes, stress
positions, and prolonged isolation to be safe, legal, ethical, and effective. (Neglect of Medical
Evidence) The laws of interrogation in GITMO(Guantanamo Bay) are established by the Bush
administration. The interrogation is effective and justifiable because of the current situation of
fighting with terrorists. I believe the interrogation methods used on detainees in GITMO prison
is humane, and justifiable.
First of all, the Geneva Convention only applies to prisoners of war, and not to spies or
terrorists. (Torture Is a Just Means) Also, the Convention against Torture only applies to own
countries soil. (Torture Is a Just Means) The detainees are being interrogated legally because
they are in another country (Cuba) than the U.S. If the detainees were in the U.S soil then the
Geneva Conventions applies to them. Also, the detainees are terrorists, so they are not treated as
prisoners of war. The terrorists are the ones who are trying to kill U.S soldiers; if the terrorist is
captured then the U.S have the right to treat the terrorist however they want. The intention of the
interrogators are to gain information from the detainees.

Second, some of the interrogations such as forced nudity is justified and humane. The
intention of the interrogators is to belittle the detainee, so he feels powerless. (Torture Is a Just
Means) The detainee is powerless from humiliation, so he will be depended upon his
interrogator to be prevented from interrogation. The only way to prevent interrogation is to
cooperate with the interrogators. The detainee just needs to cooperate with the U.S military, but
if he doesnt then he is interrogated till he gives answers. The U.S military is trying to use their
time effectively, so they use the most effective humane interrogation method to gain information
from the detainee in the fastest way possible. Using light interrogation will not help obtain
information from the detainee, and time will be wasted. Although the detainee may give false
confessions when interrogated, but the information will be checked. If the information is false
then the detainee will be punished. Another type of interrogation is forced nudity. Some may
believe that forced nudity is abusing their religion because Muslim detainees are not allowed to
expose their private parts to anyone other than their spouses. The interrogators job is to gain
information from them. As long the intention is to gain information, and not abusing their
religion then stripping their clothes is fine. Again, if the detainee cooperates then he will not be
stripped naked.
You have to understand that the U.S military interrogates the detainee to get essential
information out of them to save other peoples lives. There is no point of keeping a detainee well
treated if they dont cooperate. Detainees are interrogated in every way possible to receive any
information out of them whether the information is false or true because every information from
the detainees counts. Of course the information has to be analyzed before the information is
utilized for military purposes. Showing sympathy for the detainees would not mostly likely get
you information. Any information from detainees is important, and severe interrogation will most

likely force the detainees to say the truth. If torture, humiliation, and abuse is needed to get
information from the detainee to save several lives then extreme interrogation should be used on
the detainee.
Also, the U.S military privately tortures the detainees, so Al Qaeda/Taliban/ISIS
wouldnt use the situation with detainees in Guantanamo Bay as a propaganda. The tortures will
be kept as a secret and not exposed. If any torture is exposed then terrorists will use it like a
propaganda. Osama Bin Ladin is using the horrible situation in Guantanamo Bay which he says
he mentioned the crimes at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo which shook the conscience of
humanity. (Jamie Tarabay Abu Ghraib Closes) as propaganda to recruit members (Sunni
Muslims).
The U.S military says that the detainees are treated very well, but only if they cooperate.
There are pictures of the facilities the detainees get from the U.S Department of Defense by
Army Sergeant Sara Wood. For example, there is a picture An arrow in the barracks room in
Camp 4 points the direction to Mecca, the Islam holy city, so the detainees know which way to
face if the call to prayer sounds. Camp 4 is the medium security facility within Camp Delta at
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.(Wood, Sara, SW. Military Commission). The
detainees get religious facilities in camp 4 only if they cooperate. The detainees will get
interrogated, but if they are having any physical or mental illnesses then they will be treated and
the interrogation will continue. Any detainees that doesnt receive proper medical care should
be charged with abuse of detainee. The main goal of the interrogators is just to make the
detainees powerless and treat them when they are ill.
There are people who want to close of Guantanamo Bay because they believe the torture
methods are inhumane, and will create chaos around the world. There has been an incidence

where an interrogator thrown a prisoners Quran on the floor, stepped on it, and kicked it
across the room. (Report: Torture and Cruel). The guards should respect detainees holy book.
There should be more guards who will witness and report everything that is happening in the
GITMO prison to make sure no guards are violating the detainee. If any guards or any
interrogators violate the detainee then they will be charged. Sometimes a detainee who has no
charge of terrorism could be interrogated without the U.S military in GITMO knowing about it.
The intention of the interrogator is to interrogate terrorists, so interrogating anyone who is most
likely a terrorist is permissible. Of course the detainee will get the right to go to their lawyer if
there is possibility of the detainee being innocent.
The Guantanamo Bay prison is owned by the U.S in Cuba. The detainees in GITMO
prison are prisoners of war who are most likely to be terrorists. There are camps that are created
in the GITMO prison, and each detainee gets transferred to a better camp depending on the
detainees cooperation. The only interrogation that are legal, safe, ethical and effective are
waterboarding, forced nudity, sleep deprivation, temperature extremes, stress positions, and
prolonged isolation. (Neglect of Medical Evidence). The treatment and interrogation of
detainees are humane and justified which will help the U.S military track down terrorists and
save lives.

Work Cited
"Torture Is a Just Means of Preventing Terrorism." Idebate.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
Tarabay, Jamie, J.T. "Abu Ghraib Closes, Bitter Memories of Torture Remain | Al Jazeera
America." Abu Ghraib Closes. Al Jazeera, 16 Apr. 2014. Web. 27 Jan. 2015.
"Neglect of Medical Evidence of Torture in Guantnamo Bay: A Case Series." PLoS Medicine
8.4 (2011): E1001-1006. Web. 22 Jan. 2015.
"Report: Torture and Cruel, Inhuman, and Degrading Treatment of Prisoners at Guantanamo
Bay." Center for Constitution RSS. CRR Justice, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.
Wood, Sara, SW. "Military Commission Proceedings at Guantanamo Bay - U.S. Department of
Defense Official Website." Military Commission Proceedings at Guantanamo Bay U.S. Department of Defense Official Website. United States Department of Defense, 11
Nov. 2004. Web. 02 Mar. 2015.