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Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp
Summary
The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (often referred to as GTMO or Gitmo) in Cuba is the oldest overseas U.S. Navy base and the only one in a country with which the United States does not have diplomatic relations. Since 2001, the U.S. executive branch has brought nearly 800 detainees to a detention camp located in Guantanamo Bay. Approximately 350 detainees are currently being held. The detainees are suspected of being al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives. They are classified as "enemy combatants," a different category than prisoners of war, and are held without trials.
Yes: Support the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp
The United States is in a war with terrorism. As during any time of war, enemy prisoners are held for the safety of the United States, as a deterrent to other enemies, and to gather intelligence. Because these detainees do not operate under traditional military organizations, they are not afforded the right of prisoners of war under the Geneva Convention. The United States holds these enemy combatants under humane conditions that are appropriate for the prosecution of the War on Terrorism.
You support this or similar arguments.
No: Against the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp
The U.S. executive branch holds detainees under the false classification of enemy combatants so that it can circumvent the Geneva Convention and use torture. The International Red Cross and the United Nations have complained of inhumane treatment at the camp. Furthermore, an FBI memo reported in The New York Times described incidents of torture. The United States should not stoop to the level of its enemies in order to defeat them.
You support this or similar arguments.
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Additional Information
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