Guantanamo suicides "acts of war" says camp commander

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Guantanamo suicides 'acts of war'

The suicides of three detainees at the US base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, amount to acts of war, the US military says.

The camp commander said the two Saudis and a Yemeni were "committed" and had killed themselves in "an act of asymmetric warfare waged against us".

Lawyers said the men who hanged themselves had been driven by despair.

A military investigation into the deaths is now under way, amid growing calls for the detention centre to be moved or closed.

Walter White, an international lawyer who specialises in human rights, told the BBC the Guantanamo camp was likely to be considered a "great stain" on the human rights record of the US.

There have been dozens of suicide attempts since the camp was set up four years ago - but none successful until now.

The men were found unresponsive and not breathing by guards on Saturday morning, said officials.

They were in separate cells in Camp One, the highest security section of the prison.

They hanged themselves with clothing and bed sheets, camp commander Rear Adm Harry Harris said.

He said medical teams had tried to revive the men, but all three were pronounced dead.

'Creative'

Rear Adm Harris said he did not believe the men had killed themselves out of despair.

"They are smart. They are creative, they are committed," he said.

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

All three men had previously taken part in some of the mass on-and-off hunger strikes undertaken by detainees since last August, and all three had been force-fed by camp authorities.

They had left suicide notes, but no details have been made available.

The US military said the men's bodies were being treated "with the utmost respect".

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Mr Bush had "expressed serious concern" at the deaths.

"He also stressed that it was important to treat the bodies humanely and with cultural sensitivity," he said.

A spokesman for UK Prime Minister Tony Blair described the suicide as a "sad incident".

'Heroes'

UK Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman told the BBC on Sunday the camp should be moved to the US or shut down.

"If it's perfectly legal and there's nothing going wrong there - well, why don't they have it in America and then the American court system can supervise it?" she said.

William Goodman from the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights told AFP news agency the three dead men were "heroes for those of us who believe in basic American values of justice, fairness and democracy".

Mr Goodman, whose organisation represents some 300 detainees, said the government had denied them that.

Ken Roth, head of Human Rights Watch in New York, told the BBC the men had probably been driven by despair.

"These people are despairing because they are being held lawlessly," he said.

"There's no end in sight. They're not being brought before any independent judges. They're not being charged and convicted for any crime."

On Friday, Mr Bush said he would "like to end Guantanamo", adding he believed the inmates "ought to be tried in courts here in the United States".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/5068606.stm

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

Are they actually trying to suggest that dying in custody is another form of terrorism?

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

Are they actually trying to suggest that dying in custody is another form of terrorism?

Yes.... it's apparently all part of their fiendish diabolical plan.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us."

Are they actually trying to suggest that dying in custody is another form of terrorism?

Yes.... it's apparently all part of their fiendish diabolical plan.

Nothing at all to do with the fact that Guantanamo has been universally condemned by human rights watchdogs, not to mention the entire international community. Bad PR = terrorism. Sounds weak to me...

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

The scariest thing is this line:

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own.

Remember Dr. Strangelove ?

Major Jack D. Ripper: "Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own."

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The scariest thing is this line:

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own.

Remember Dr. Strangelove ?

Major Jack D. Ripper: "Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own."

[Chuckles 0]

The scariest thing is this line:

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own.

Remember Dr. Strangelove ?

Major Jack D. Ripper: "Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own."

Love that movie

[Artegal 1]

Suicide has been and is a form of protest--by terrorist (suicide bombings) and others, images of Buddhist monks doused in gasoline and setting themselves on fire in Vietnam comes to mind for the group of others. And yeah Dr. Strangelove is great film.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Suicide has been and is a form of protest--by terrorist (suicide bombings) and others, images of Buddhist monks doused in gasoline and setting themselves on fire in Vietnam comes to mind for the group of others. And yeah Dr. Strangelove is great film.

Indeed. The implication is that "they're doing this to make us look bad", but ultimately this will just be one more "I told you so" for the people who thought Guantanamo was a good idea.

[slim 1,525]

I love the way the US Government spins this stuff. Man, it's creative!

Assymetric Warfare? That's awesome!!! I can't believe they were able to come up with something like that since Scott McClellan left office. Wait a minute.... has he been getting a tan at a Cuban beach lately? Kind of a "thanks for the good work, Scotty!" I wonder if they flew him down there for some fun in the sun and while he was there they were like "quick.. 3 suicides... what should we say?" He scratched his head, thought for a moment and said "A ha... we'll turn their act of desperation into an act of terrorism by calling it "assymetric warfare!!!" Americans don't even know what that means anyway, and before they can figure it out.... they guys will already be known as terrorists!!! HA HA!!! Got 'em good!"

[almaty 19]

i agree brother slim

[De & Al 0]

The scariest thing is this line:

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own.

Remember Dr. Strangelove ?

Major Jack D. Ripper: "Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own."

Guantanamo is a military base were it is been condemned for not having human rights, well maybe that is because the complete Island of Cuba has no human rights, don’t look only at Guantanamo look at the rest of the Island

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

complete Island of Cuba has no human rights

Now that's not quite true is it?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The scariest thing is this line:

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own.

Remember Dr. Strangelove ?

Major Jack D. Ripper: "Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own."

Guantanamo is a military base were it is been condemned for not having human rights, well maybe that is because the complete Island of Cuba has no human rights, don’t look only at Guantanamo look at the rest of the Island

In any case.... Guatanamo Bay is a US run facility, the reason it has been condemned by human rights groups is that it is effectively a legal black hole. That's hardly Cuba's fault, seeing as the US military occupies the land. It's not exactly Casa De Fidel...

Edited June 13, 2006 by Fishdude

[De & Al 0]

The scariest thing is this line:

"They have no regard for life, either ours or their own.

Remember Dr. Strangelove ?

Major Jack D. Ripper: "Your Commie has no regard for human life. Not even his own."

Guantanamo is a military base were it is been condemned for not having human rights, well maybe that is because the complete Island of Cuba has no human rights, don’t look only at Guantanamo look at the rest of the Island

In any case.... Guatanamo Bay is a US run facility, the reason it has been condemned by human rights groups is that it is effectively a legal black hole. That's hardly Cuba's fault, seeing as the US military occupies the land. It's not exactly Casa De Fidel...

I am not implying that it is Fidel’s fault, and the fact that it is a US run facility is well known, however the fact still remains that every one is always condemning the US well how about the rest of the world and by this it doesn’t mean that I think that it is OK, what is been done is not right, not with in the Guantanamo base or with in Cuba it self.