I keep hearing how some countries don’t want back their own citizens who are currently being held in Guantanamo bay. I don’t understand this, for a couple of reasons.
Our (The US) credibility has been shot to hell for a quiet a while now. People involved in trials regarding the detainees have said there was great pressure to find them guilty, regardless of whether they actually are, or not. Because of that, I find it strange that Middle Eastern governments don’t at least question their guilt.
With an exception or two, isn’t our image pretty much tarnished in the Middle East? It seems, and I admit, I am basing this purely on what I hear on the news, it seems to me like somebody accused of plotting against America would either be met with indifference, or even admiration, for standing up to the great Satan.
So, why is it that some detainees won’t be able to go back home if released?
First of all, the Middle East isn’t some amorphous blob, and some of the countries there like us (or at least cooperate with us) more than others. They probably fear reprisal from the very people in Guantanamo for working with the U.S. These countries also probably don’t want to make the U.S. military frustrated with them by saying, “You’re wrong, and we demand that you hand these guys who you believe are dangerous terrorists [whether the military is right in that belief or not] back over to us.” The Saudi dynasty, for example, benefits greatly from remaining in the good graces of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies. And reputation is not a point system: it seems reasonable to me to think the people who know and trust each other in the different governments likely still do, regardless of who is CIC.
And I am not a Guantanamo expert, but I’d assume that some of these guys are more obviously guilty than others. It would kind of look bad to demand the release of a someone who committed an attack in front of hundreds of witnesses.
Many of them are known ‘troublemakers’ and, even if we can’t prove them guilty of ‘terrorism’ (even in a kangaroo court military tribunal), they are not really wanted back in their country by the dictatorships that run it. Especially as their status will be enhanced by having withstood the imprisonment by the US. Those governments would much prefer to have them in prison, but by another government. so that they can make occasional PR denunciations of the imprisonment, without the worry that they will be taken seriously.
Right, I wasn’t trying to imply that. It simply seems to me that there are more countries that are either indifferent to us, or actually dislike us, than there are that like us. But of course, I could be wrong.
And as for the rest of what you’re saying, I think you misunderstood. I’m not talking about other countries demanding the detainees release, I’m talking about us voluntarily releasing them, and them having problems going back to their own countries.
Ah, I did misunderstand you, then. But what t-bonham@scc.net said: the kinds of people who are suspected of being terrorists (correctly or incorrectly) usually aren’t conformists content to live with the dictatorial regime they disagree with.
Yes, I think you’re wrong. There are more Arab countries that cooperate closely with the USA than countries that don’t : Morroco : close ties with the USA. Algeria : cooperates. Had been clamoring for a coordinated international action againt Islamic fundamentalists long before 9/11. Tunisia : cooperates. Egypt : close ties with the USA. Receives massive US support. Jordan : cooperates to an extent. Saudi Arabia : Close ties. Heavily dependant on the USA. Other small arab states (EAU, Kuweit…) : relying on the USA too. Lebanon : extremely divided country. Depends.
So, we’re left with Lybia (and Lybia currently keeps a low profile), Syria, Iran (I know Iran isn’t an Arab country) and the particular case of Iraq.
Now, the fact that a local government cooperates with the USA doesn’t mean that the population is happy with it (for instance : Egypt) or that terrorists can’t find support in this country (obvious example : Saudi Arabia). Let alone that the population “likes you”.
Regarding the OP, I don’t know which countries don’t want their citizens back. But a WAG would be that a country wouldn’t want a former detainee at large in its territory and wouldn’t want to jail him, either, out of fear that it would infuriate the population.
You need to generalize your question to why detainees aren’t able to go anywhere if released. Certainly some can’t go home for various reasons. Others don’t have any place to go period. The basic answer to your question is the restrictions the US places on such releases.
There are some detainees that can’t be released because no country except their homeland will take them in. But the US has promised not to send people back to countries where the detainee would likely be tortured and so there is no place for these people to go. The largest example of this are the Urguers (sp) who are ethnic Chinese. For some immigration reason, they can’t be released into the US, though there is a judge in the US who has ordered their release, and so these detainees are stuck.
As for the detainees from the middle east, some of the problem has to do with the restrictions the US places on the receiving country-no torture and no simple release. They have to be processed through that countries legal system. In some cases, this is more than the receiving country is willing/able to do.
And then there are the out and out terrorists that the US holds and no one wants period.
Its mostly due to the fact that they are trained terrorists and we frown on that. These particular terrorists weren’t training to fight the US but it still isn’t a good recommendation for immigration.
Sometimes the detainees don’t want to go back to their home country. I read that there are some Uighurs that we no longer wanted to detain. China was very interested in them coming home, but for some reason they didn’t think they’d be greeted nicely if they went to China. I think Albania agreed to take them, but last I heard they weren’t free to move about; they were living in some compound.