Obama has no concern for dying Gitmo inmates: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Tighe Barry, an activist with CODEPINK in Washington, on the US defense bill for 2016 signed by President Barack Obama, making the closure of the infamous prison at the Guantanamo Bay even more difficult.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Why would Obama sign this bill into law if it pretty much goes against a campaign pledge of his?

Barry: Well, I think the priority of the Obama administration is to continue more wars in the Middle East. I don’t think he really has that much concern for the 112 people that are dying in a prison, an illegal prison that the United States has set up in the sovereign nation of Cuba.

The United States invaded Cuba over a 100 years ago and they signed a treaty that said that they get to keep this part of Cuba with a dictatorship and to this day the United States is using that particular piece of land to stockpile its illegal prisoners that it picks up supposedly on the battlefield but as we all know they pick them up through rendition and other means through other foreign countries.

The United States is an outlier nation. It is a rogue nation when it comes to Guantanamo and it should be hauled back into the nations of the world by the United Nations and other democracies around the world that consider this an abomination of human rights.

Press TV: But Obama has spoken out against Guantanamo a lot throughout his tenure so far as President. Now there is talk, a rumor at least that he may use an executive order to shut it. What do you feel about that?  

Barry: Well, I would love to see that to happen. As a matter of fact, we have got many people right now that are in Guantanamo -- that are near the gates of this appalling prison, that is called Guantanamo -- that are fasting and are trying to get close to the gates of Guantanamo to drive home to the American public that we need to end this catastrophe, this human rights catastrophe, this dark cloud over the United States. But the reason they cannot get close to the gate is not because of the Cuban government but because of the snipers that are located on the wall in Guantanamo. You cannot get within a quarter mile of that wall.

I think Barack Obama, if he does use executive order, he would be doing the right thing and he would be joining the world community of democracies. But I see that the Congress is once again hiding its responsibility to accept the fact that Guantanamo needs to close and I think Obama is looking more out for his legacy with Congress than it is the rights of these individuals.

As a matter of fact, Shaker Aamer was released recently to Great Britain and this was not the point. Fourteen years this man was being held. Great Britain requested over and over - one of the supposed allies in United States - to return this man and they just recently did it and our Congress was up in arms.  

So, I do not see that this will happen. Remember, this is the legacy of the Bush administration and Obama has not put one single prisoner in there. Yet, he has been unable to close this abomination on human rights and democracy.

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