Human rights defenders on Tuesday renewed demands for President Joe Biden to close the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba as the Senate Judiciary Committee convened a hearing at which experts and advocates testified about the damage that Gitmo does to detainees, the nation’s standing in the world, and the elusive pursuit of justice for victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks and their families.<\/p>\n
Lamenting that two-third of the remaining 39 Guantánamo prisoners – there have been approximately 780<\/a> men and boys held at the facility since 2002 – have not been charged with any crime, Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) asked, “How can that possibly be justice?”<\/p>\n “The story of Guantánamo is the story of a nation that lost its way,” said Durbin, to the protestations<\/a> of observers who noted that indefinite detention<\/a> and torture<\/a> have been part of the US narrative for centuries. “It is a story of justice delayed and denied again and again – not only for detainees but also for the victims of 9\/11 and their loved ones.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “There is no end in sight for these military commissions,” he added, referring to the legal apparatus for prosecuting Gitmo detainees that was described<\/a> as “rigged” by one of several US military prosecutors who quit in protest. “We can and we must do better.”<\/p>\n WATCH LIVE: The Committee holds a hearing entitled \u201cClosing Guantanamo: Ending 20 Years of Injustice.\u201d This prison has been a stain on our international reputation and does nothing to bring justice for the victims of 9\/11. It's time to #CloseGuantanamo<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/szFErl4Tdz<\/a><\/p>\n — Senate Judiciary Committee (@JudiciaryDems) December 7, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n