Guantanamo Bay Prepared for Closing

The problem is just what we plan to do with the prisoners though. A number of them are already free to go as soon as their home countries are willing to take them back (they are refusing to accept their repatriation)

It was also the best way to handle the sticky situation of the unlawful combatants in the war zones. They can't legally be given a civilian trial. Ironically that actually would violate the Geneva convention.

It doesn't really matter though. I believe the current count at the prison is down to a little over 200. I assume the ones on hold for war crimes will still be held, so it's really just a political move to rally the supporters and help our image.

Good that they closed the camp down, but I wonder what they are going to do with the prisoners will do, I mean will they put them into another camp, or will they just release them? I mean if they release them that wouldn't exactly be the best idea.

They will probably just transfer them to brigs and military prisons until they can be tried for war crimes. The ones who aren't being held for war crimes will probably be released, if their home countries are willing to accept them. Otherwise, they might go to Switzerland or one of the other countries that offered asylum.

I thought it was Switzerland and perhaps Portugal that offered to take them all back (I can't remember exactly...Portugal might have gone the other way and flat out refused. Either way its name jumps out at me).

That's the big annoying problem right now. The EU has been on our back for years trying to get us to shutdown Guantanamo Bay, saying that we were evil people who wouldn't help the poor prisoners inside. Now we shut it down and most of the countries back out of their promise to take them back. Obama was pretty livid for awhile about it.

This is a largely cosmetic move by the current Administration. It closes down a symbol but doesn't effectively change much. Many prisoners are being held in places like Egypt where we hired them to hold them and to "question" them for us. The suspect nature of the questioning is done by others, therefore not subject to the same scrutiny. This has not changed.

These prisoners will have to be moved to someplace within the US. I'm glad the Supermax prison in CO is full, I'd hate for this to be the place they'll land. I grow tired of CO being the center of the news so often for such negative things.