DUBAI (Haian Nayouf, AlArabiya.net)
An Arab-American government official has painted a rosy picture of the notorious Guantanamo detention camp – one that is totally divorced from reality, a rights activist who also visited the camp said.
Walid Jawad heads up a U.S. State Department team whose job is to monitor online Arabic discussion forums and post entries that present U.S. foreign policy in a positive light.
Following a visit to Gitmo, Jawad said people's impression of the Cuban-based prison was based on pictures of the temporary camp X-Ray, which was shut down three months ago and from which all prisoners have been transferred.
At Camp Delta, the permanent detention center, Jawad said inmates enjoy many privileges.
"They have the freedom to go in and out of the wards, they are allowed almost 12 hours daily of entertainment in TV rooms and working out in the sports fields, and they have language courses."
Jawad said prisoners also enjoy full religious rights -- each prisoner is given a copy of the Quran, a prayer rug and beads. The call to prayer is heard five times a day and prisoners get 20 minutes without interruptions for each prayer. Facilities are provided for ablutions and all meals are cooked to Islamic standards.
Jawad also said the camp's library keeps copies of the Quran -- handled only by Muslim staff – as well as sports magazines and Arabic-language novels, of which Harry Potter is the most popular.
He said the camp's hospital is well equipped and inmates receive the same medical care as U.S. military personnel.
Some investigation rooms resemble cozy, American-style living rooms, he said, with prisoners allowed tea, coffee and meals from the camp's fast food restaurants. |
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"Divorced from reality" But British lawyer and activist, Clive Stafford Smith, who visited Guantanamo six months ago, refuted Jawad's report, which he described as totally divorced from reality.
Smith, founder of the UK charity Reprieve, which represents 128 Guantanamo detainees, told AlArabiya.net that Gitmo is the worst detention center he has ever seen.
"Inmates are totally isolated, placed under stifling security surveillance and frequently put in solitary confinement. They are detained without trial, and not allowed to contact family for up to six years."
Smith added that many prisoners have terminal illnesses, citing the case of Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Hajj, who is not receiving any treatment for his throat cancer.
Smith said detainees are frequently subjected to sexual abuse with the aim of humiliating them.
He called upon the American government to shut down the camp and apologize for rights violations. He said he hoped this would happen when the new U.S. president is elected.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid) |
