Politics

Gitmo Attorneys Come Out In Full Force Against Rumored Exec Order On Enhanced Interrogation Techniques

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Jonah Bennett Contributor
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A group of Gitmo attorneys have pledged to fight the Trump administration tooth and nail in response to rumors of a draft White House executive order, which allegedly promises a review of enhanced interrogation techniques and keeps Gitmo open.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer denies the validity of the document, saying it is not a creation of the White House, but the Center for Constitutional Rights has come out in full opposition to enhanced interrogation techniques and says it will fight to close Guantanamo Bay.

The New York Times was the first to report on the document, which purported to be a draft executive order from the White House. The draft document also broached the possibility of re-opening CIA black site prisons outside of the United States and suggested that enemy combatants, once captured, should be sent to Guantanamo Bay, which is “legal, safe, and humane.”

“We have fought to close Guantanamo Bay and to end torture there since the prison was established in 2002,” the Center for Constitutional Rights said in a statement Wednesday. “We will continue to fight for the men held there today, and anyone who may be brought there in the future, regardless of who is president. We will not stop until the prison is closed.”

It’s no secret that Trump is in favor Guantanamo Bay, indicating on multiple occasions that he intends to fill up the prison with “some bad dudes,” even blasting the Obama administration for trying to shut it down, pointing to the high rate of detainee recidivism once prisoners are released.

But Gitmo attorneys argue that if transfers are suspended from the prison, the U.S. will be in violation of Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions. Not a single new detainee has been sent to Gitmo since 2009.

Interestingly, the draft document explicitly disavows the use of “torture” and states that U.S. law must be followed.

GOP Sen. John McCain also came out against the draft order, saying that Trump “can sign whatever executive orders he likes. But the law is the law. We are not bringing back torture in the United States of America.”

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