LOOSING A BATTLE IN ONE’S OWN BACKYARD

The U.S. on the plea that the detainees in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp are wore no uniforms when caught and were not part of any recognized military force said that the inmates did not qualify for protection under the international rules of war, which is supervised by the Red Cross under the rubric of the Geneva Conventions and Protocols. These conditions result in severe restrictions and control over the rights of the inmates. Guantanamo Bay has thus, become ill famous for the mass human rights violations that allegedly take place there.
European Union members, the Organization of American States, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, newspapers like The New York Time have collectively protested against physical condition of detainees. The newspapers, it may be argued here, are participating in this collective action purely because of rational considerations.
In June 2006, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in support of a motion urging the United States to close the camp. Among the voters were U.S.s’ perennial friends the United Kingdom and other NATO allies who were actively participating in the war on terror. They seem to have taken this step to participate in a one of its kind opportunity that has arisen. The European Parliament in a sense wants to give out a message to the global community as a whole that if there is someone in the world that cares about human rights then it is them.
Finally this collective action has bore fruits and the new President, Barak Obama has assured the world that this facility would be closed in a year’s time. This shut down would lead to a more explosive discussion on what would the future hold for the 245 male prisoners left on the island? Probably some collective action by the civil society at large would again be needed to bring justice to these 245 men.