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Back to To the Point

To the Point

Does the US Still Need the Prison at Guantanamo Bay?

Barack Obama's first presidential order was to close Guantánamo Bay. Even George W. Bush agreed. But as he began his second term in January of this year, the special envoy for closing Guantánamo was dismissed without a replacement, and 166 prisoners are still there.

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By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

Barack Obama's first presidential order was to close Guantánamo Bay. Even George W. Bush agreed. But as he began his second term in January of this year, the special envoy for closing Guantánamo was dismissed without a replacement, and 166 prisoners are still there. More than half are on a hunger strike and, last week, military guards put down an uprising. We hear what classified documents reveal about inmate behavior and abusive treatment of prisoners being held without charge. Is there still a "war on terror" requiring military tribunals? Will there be future "enemy combatants" too dangerous to handle in America's court system?

(Special thanks to Leilia Thayer for help in producing this discussion.)

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    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

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    Anna Scott

    Former KCRW Housing and Homelessness Reporter

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    Caitlin Shamberg

    KCRW

  • KCRW placeholder

    Kerry Cavanaugh

    editorial writer at the Los Angeles Times

  • KCRW placeholder

    Pardiss Kebriaei

    Center for Constitutional Rights

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jennifer Daskal

    Georgetown Law Center

  • KCRW placeholder

    Thomas Pickering

    Hills & Company

    NewsNationalPolitics
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