By Thomas Joscelyn
As the President-elect's administration weighs what to do with the detainees remaining at Guantánamo, the pressure is mounting from advocacy groups. For years, some organizations have taken an extreme approach, telling the detainees' stories in the most favorable manner possible -- ignoring evidence of their ties to terrorism, while magnifying nearly every allegation of abuse whether it is valid or not. The result is a picture of Guantánamo that is clearly distorted. Most inmates are portrayed as obvious innocents who are tortured by an American government run amok.
Consider a pamphlet published in mid-December of last year by Amnesty International. In a four-page piece titled "Solidarity with Guantánamo Detainees," Amnesty asks people to "support the detainees" and implores them to "act now" in their defense. The pamphlet references nine current and former detainees, highlighting their words from "poems and letters," and asking people to write them in order to boost their morale: "Please write to any or all of the following Guantánamo detainees, expressing in your own words your solidarity with them."
What are the detainees' alleged ties to terrorism? What is the evidence that has been collected against them? Amnesty International does not say. If the organization did, chances are people would not have much of an incentive to write them, or support Amnesty's campaign. Read more ...
As the President-elect's administration weighs what to do with the detainees remaining at Guantánamo, the pressure is mounting from advocacy groups. For years, some organizations have taken an extreme approach, telling the detainees' stories in the most favorable manner possible -- ignoring evidence of their ties to terrorism, while magnifying nearly every allegation of abuse whether it is valid or not. The result is a picture of Guantánamo that is clearly distorted. Most inmates are portrayed as obvious innocents who are tortured by an American government run amok.
Consider a pamphlet published in mid-December of last year by Amnesty International. In a four-page piece titled "Solidarity with Guantánamo Detainees," Amnesty asks people to "support the detainees" and implores them to "act now" in their defense. The pamphlet references nine current and former detainees, highlighting their words from "poems and letters," and asking people to write them in order to boost their morale: "Please write to any or all of the following Guantánamo detainees, expressing in your own words your solidarity with them."
What are the detainees' alleged ties to terrorism? What is the evidence that has been collected against them? Amnesty International does not say. If the organization did, chances are people would not have much of an incentive to write them, or support Amnesty's campaign. Read more ...
Source: The Weekly Standard
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