Latvia to accept Guantanamo prisoners

[Heathen Hammer]

Gitmo prisoners might see the cold sea
It looks like Gitmo prisoners will be faced with a climate change as some of them will probably have to move from the warm tropical island of Cuba in the Caribbean to a much colder place on the shores of the Baltic Sea.

Yes, Barack Obama has ordered the prison in Guantanamo Bay to be closed by the end of 2009, but prisoners are definitely not going home or anyway near it.

Authorities in the small Baltic state of Latvia, as well as in EU and NATO countries, are considering a proposal made by the U.S. to host prisoners with unidentified status, a “correctional” facility in Europe where certain Guantanamo prisoners will be transferred, reports the DELFI news agency.

Earlier this year, Latvia’s neighbour, Estonia, had volunteered to welcome the same facility in its country.

Currently, there are about 60 prisoners out of 250 in Guantanamo accused of terrorism but whose guilt has never been proven.

At a meeting of the heads of foreign ministries of the EU, it was decided that European Commission would draw up principles to deal with prisoners of this kind.

It must be noted that a large number of ex-Guantanamo prisoners who were released beginning in 2002 were soon observed as they were involved in new terrorist activities.

Nothing has been decided so far, since Latvia is not sure whether it has the necessary juridical background as well as technical capabilities to deal with such a prison on its territory.

Latvia is a relatively new EU member and has already suffered one of the most among European countries due to the world economic crisis, which has resulted in mass protest demonstrations throughout the country. That is why there is little wonder that Latvian authorities, being in great need for money to fill gaps in the budget, are ready to accept money from any sources available.

Maybe operating a foreign prison with a dingy reputation is not a good idea for a European country, but the current situation, with no foreseeable financial assistance in the near future, has created different rules amidst a new European reality.

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/36763
I find it funny how people find closing Guantanamo as some sort of change. They will just close the prison with "bad" name and send all the prisoners to their other satellites.

[Dunecat]

Word.

Though admittedly he will accomplish some "good", and more stability, with his repressive policies, I must still object the decisions he makes. While he might very well be obliged to make them, if the revolution was tomorrow I would welcome it. Too much is to be gained, but frankly I don't think Obama, in any stretch of the imagination, could be that catalyst.

I have low expectations for him, is all I'm saying.

[Nikos]

Go Latvia!

[saglam2000]

lol latvia.....they will be finally recognized on the world map for doing something usefull

[Hounf of Culan]

Awesome, I hope they get frostbite.

[RZZZA]

Bring them to cook county. I dont understand these "not in my backyard!" people.

Bring them to my backyard, I'll feel safe enough with all of them in my local prison.

[mrmouth]

Bring them to cook county. I dont understand these "not in my backyard!" people.

Bring them to my backyard, I'll feel safe enough with all of them in my local prison.

Yeah, that's all we need, radical Muslims preaching to black Muslims in CC jail. That's the whole reason they are segregated from the US prison population.

On the other hand, the aryan brotherhood would probably thin out their numbers fairly quickly...I might actually pay to see that. Don King can set it up.

These people are the unluckiest beings on earth. LOL

I think the people they killed might just hold that honor.

[Heinz Guderian]

Yeah, that's all we need, radical Muslims preaching to black Muslims in CC jail. That's the whole reason they are segregated from the US prison population.

On the other hand, the aryan brotherhood would probably thin out their numbers fairly quickly...

The Aryan Brotherhood are too busy killing fellow aryans or are DEA informants. If you want a job done right dog, you gotta get Mexicans out of Tijuana.

[Pontifex Maximus]

I think putting them in American prisons would be worse than Gitmo.

[Dunecat]

Good point.

Do they have the system in Guantanamo? :hmmm:

[RZZZA]

no i think theyre in isolation in gitmo, but they do get tortured.

in federal and state prisons the inmates still get tortured but its unsanctioned torture.

prison can never not be torture

they should offer these guys the choice, what kind of torture are you in the mood for today? a little rape or some waterboarding and stress positions?

let them choose

[Seether]

no i think theyre in isolation in gitmo, but they do get tortured.

in federal and state prisons the inmates still get tortured but its unsanctioned torture.

Actually, only about 5% of the population is in actual isolation, in their own 'camp'. They are deemed the 'worst' and are separated from everyone else accordingly. The remaining prisoners are split up between several buildings in the other camp. Now it isn't like regular prisoner where they all eat together in a mess hall, but they do have contact with other prisoners; except there are always walls or bars between them. More than anything, a lot of them love to make false complaints and throw feces at the Navy MAs guarding them.

prison can never not be torture

Absolutely...

they should offer these guys the choice, what kind of torture are you in the mood for today? a little rape or some waterboarding and stress positions?

let them choose

Thats awful

[jankren]

Lol, little irrelevant countries trying to steal a little spotlight ...

[boofhead]

So they've got nowhere to go, so they plan on putting them in a country with EU membership. And they can't be kept forever, so one day they have to be released.....in the EU, where people have freedom of movement between the various countries.

Excuse me, but that seems extremely stupid considering 'The West' is one of the great enemies of Islamicist nutjobs.

[jankren]

So they've got nowhere to go, so they plan on putting them in a country with EU membership. And they can't be kept forever, so one day they have to be released.....in the EU, where people have freedom of movement between the various countries.

Excuse me, but that seems extremely stupid considering 'The West' is one of the great enemies of Islamicist nutjobs.

Mmm ... how do you know they are Islamist nutjobs? We are talking about Guantanamo Prison. Its not like any other prisons where only convicted criminals are put in them.

[boofhead]

Mmm ... how do you know they are Islamist nutjobs? We are talking about Guantanamo Prison. Its not like any other prisons where only convicted criminals are put in them.

You've just got to go by the statistics of the people they have already released. A proportion of them were terrorists or will return to terror, it is inevitable. And when you think of how much damage a small group of these people can do....then it really is just asking for an attack, in the long-term, in Europe. It's nuts.

These people should be dropped back exactly where they were captured.

[Burnum]

You've just got to go by the statistics of the people they have already released. A proportion of them were terrorists or will return to terror, it is inevitable. And when you think of how much damage a small group of these people can do....then it really is just asking for an attack, in the long-term, in Europe. It's nuts.

These people should be dropped back exactly where they were captured.

The recidivism rate for Guantanamo prisoners is lower than that of normal violent crime.

^^^ aha!!!! So they were guilty, case closed.

I'm not saying their guilty, I'm just saying once released their less likely to commit crimes.

[Misery]

Hmm, are they being released into general population or are they being sent to prison in Latvia?

None of these poor souls has ever been convicted of anything and their only crime was heaving wrong name or being on wrong place at wrong time, what justification do they have for keeping them in jails.

[danzig]

So basically Obama policy is to close Gitmo-USA and allow Gitmo-Euro to take over

[JP226]

So they've got nowhere to go, so they plan on putting them in a country with EU membership. And they can't be kept forever, so one day they have to be released.....in the EU, where people have freedom of movement between the various countries.

well... we had gitmo but you people complained.