Legal black holes such as Bagram are the physical manifestation of the ‘state of exception’ beloved of leaders throughout history
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) demanded that the Obama administration release information on 600 detainees held at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. The request mirrors that made to the Bush administration seven years before, regarding the men held in Guantánamo Bay.
The continued use of secret prisons to hold detainees – some not captured in the Afghan conflict, but brought to Bagram from elsewhere – seems contrary to the announcement of 23 January 2009 when the Obama administration, fresh into office, declared that the indefinite detention of foreign prisoners at Guantánamo Bay would end. In April, the CIA announced that it had ceased operating its network of secret prisons. Publicly at least, it seemed that the extraordinary powers claimed for the president following 11 September 2001 had been a historical anomaly, gone with Bush and his cabal.
Continues >>
Tags: 600 detainees, ACLU, Afghanistan, Bagram airbase, Bush and "enemy combatants", CIA, Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt, Obama administration, secret prisons
This entry was posted on August 24, 2009 at 7:48 am and is filed under Afghanistan, Commentary, Human rights, imperialism, Muslims, President Barack Obama, torture, Uncategorized, US policy, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Peace and Justice Post
Secret Prisons and Sovereignty
Legal black holes such as Bagram are the physical manifestation of the ‘state of exception’ beloved of leaders throughout history
by Bernard Keenan | The Guardian/UK, Aug 23, 2009
Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) demanded that the Obama administration release information on 600 detainees held at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan. The request mirrors that made to the Bush administration seven years before, regarding the men held in Guantánamo Bay.
The continued use of secret prisons to hold detainees – some not captured in the Afghan conflict, but brought to Bagram from elsewhere – seems contrary to the announcement of 23 January 2009 when the Obama administration, fresh into office, declared that the indefinite detention of foreign prisoners at Guantánamo Bay would end. In April, the CIA announced that it had ceased operating its network of secret prisons. Publicly at least, it seemed that the extraordinary powers claimed for the president following 11 September 2001 had been a historical anomaly, gone with Bush and his cabal.
Continues >>
Share this:
Related
Tags: 600 detainees, ACLU, Afghanistan, Bagram airbase, Bush and "enemy combatants", CIA, Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt, Obama administration, secret prisons
This entry was posted on August 24, 2009 at 7:48 am and is filed under Afghanistan, Commentary, Human rights, imperialism, Muslims, President Barack Obama, torture, Uncategorized, US policy, USA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.