Till Death Do Thee Part

Trey Smith

A detainee at Guantánamo was found dead in his cell on Saturday, according to camp officials. He is the ninth person to die at the camp since it was opened more than ten years ago. As former Gitmo guard Brandon Neely pointed out Monday, more detainees have died at the camp (nine) than have been convicted of wrongdoing by its military commissions (six). This is the fourth detainee who has died at the camp since Obama's inauguration.

Although the detainee's identity has not been disclosed, a camp spokesman acknowledged that he "had not been charged and had not been designated for prosecution". In other words, he has been kept by the US government in a cage for many years without any opportunity to contest the accusations against him, and had no hope of leaving the camp except by death.

Indeed, dying in due process-free captivity now appears to be the only way for many of these detainees to leave.
~ from Another Guantánamo Prisoner Death Highlights Democrats' Hypocrisy by Glenn Greenwald ~

I'll let Greenwald handle the hypocrisy angle. What I want to focus on is the personal angle.

Suppose your (or another) government has you arrested for a crime you didn't commit. You are told that there is strong evidence that you are guilty, but no charges are ever brought against you. You and your lawyer demand that you be released, but the government says you are too dangerous or, maybe, the government says nothing at all. No matter how you protest your imprisonment, it falls on deaf ears.

Imagine how you would feel separated from your loved ones -- spouse, partner, children, parents, friends, colleagues. Imagine being locked in a cage for year upon year upon year. Now imagine what it must be like to lose all hope in decency and justice.

In such a situation, you must know that death is your only means of escape.

The United States of America cannot call itself a moral nation until this heinous travesty is ended. Either charge these individuals with a crime and allow them to defend themselves or LET THEM GO!!