Percent g d p in 2023 compared to the real g d p growth of 2. 5 percent in United States. So china of growth twice as fast binding is desperately trying to win re election. So he has to paint the picture as rosy as possible, even if its contrary to the wrong reality as well. So this is as low as its going to have your company due to that on to the outcome of interests. And so is that will be fine to come out the, [000 00 00;00] the the, what is part of the employee would post that isnt the defense you of us and that in the word part is it something deeper, more complex might be present to that stuff without collision is desktop out of the called the google drive, our time, the detention facilities and the Guantanamo Bay naval base has been the facility where the Us Department of defense has detained and interrogated. Whereas redeemed extra ordinary dangerous people and to prosecute them for more crime. Im sure i know he is, and on this edition of 360 view, were going to look at whether the United States can justify the continued operations of the military prison at get. Now lets get started. The United States presents in Guantanamo Bay, begin in 1898, following the spanish american war. And in 19 o 3 the United States, designated as land and tuba as a naval station. The following the terrorist attacks in new york city and washington d. C. On september 11th, 2001 United States opened a military prison in Guantanamo Bay. Cuba to hold suspected terrorist. Now since 2002, 779 men had been brought to the detention facilities. Had Guantanamo Bay. The Largest Group were for afghanistan with saudi arabia and germanys running the top 3 of the 50 nationalities represented. Now currently, many of the 779 men have either been released, transferred or died, leaving only 30 men currently residing in the facility. Many of these men are deemed forever prisoners because the state department cannot find a single country in the world who would be willing to receive even those men who have been cleared for release. Why . Well, because these men, despite never being officially charged due to the gridlock, what is happening with the 911 trial are suspected to still have been involved in some way with a terraced organization. In fact, according to the most recent statistics from the office of the director of national intelligence, 204 of the 676 released detainees, are there confirmed to re engage or a suspected of re engaging in terrorist activities. However, only age men held at guantanamo had been convicted, and 4 of those convictions had been reversed. No resistance to closing the facilities. A get mail has been mainly republican lead. And despite some minor actions being taken by democrats, when they controlled the oval office, none have made the actual move to completely close the facility. A. Is this because those elect to the office like courage or dont see the facility which was dominated the headlines as a priority . Lets discuss with our panel a steve gil, host of the steve gail show, and political commentator as well as anti worthington, who was an investigative journalist. Thank you so much for joining me, gentlemen. And i want to start with, you should the United States still maintain the base and that intentions that arent going to them of a well now, of course, and also maybe even president bush and a 2nd time recognizing that theyve been a mistake. It should have been close to a long, long time ago. Obviously, president obama made efforts to do so that was significant republic and pushed back. Its just such a great shame that is still open because it is a legal, moral, and ethical, abomination. And a great shame for the United States every day that it so well, steve, there has been questions regarding the prisoners, i guess. Now almost as its origination, you actually were there in 2005 as a guest. Then secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld in the department of defense almost 20 years later. Do you believe you were actually given a true look at the facility at that time . Or were you just showing the image the di or do you want it . Americans to see i think i saw exactly what was there and you know what we were seeing from the media at that time. Were these pictures of, of the grassy stance lines in and out door facilities. But in reality, it was the most modern and present in facility in the world. So what the media was showing was dramatically different and then what we were actually seeing in terms of the, the conditions is the treatment of the, of the chinese and others. I do think that its a moral ethical conundrum of what you do now that youve had them. How do you let them go and nobody wants to take them . How do you let them go when they are our highest of likelihood of recidivism back because of the terrorism, the activities that got them there in the 1st place and, and the challenges. You cant really bring them to the United States where they are going to be subject to the protections of the constitution. If youre going to have a military tribunal, you have to do it somewhere and liked it, or not get most about the only location. Well, thats of a and you know, you mentioned that you think that it should probably never been opened in the 1st place. Where do you suspect these sorts of suspected terrorists . Possibly even the trial is that go along with them. Were sure. Where should they be held, and where should we hold these prisoners . Do what to put them amongst the civilian population in american prisons . Well, 1st of all, i must stress that besides the men still held 16 of them have been unanimously approved for release by high level Us Government review process is the reason that they havent been freed. Yes is because of the political difficulty of finding countries that will take them, but its not, as you mentioned in your introduction because of any associations with terrorism that are attached to these man thats simply not the case. Um i, i obviously agree that we all have a problem with what to do with the 9 men who are currently facing charges. And i think 2 of them agreeing to a plea deal, which means that we buy security yall and weve got the 2nd 6 or 7 man. How big were in town a month. Um 5 man accused of involvement in the non 11 trials, one man accused of involvement in the us as co attacked into size. And the question of what to do with these man is the, is the really sticky . Well, you know, everyone else is how they raise the rate you should be really. Now the problem is that the manager commissions that was set up to try these man, it tied into the use of torture. These men were all told you and didnt see a black sites. And the problem is the torture is incompatible with the seats of justice. And i think what weve seen with these trials is that they just go round and round and round, and as they, they never reach on please. You know, this is a, this is profoundly shameful for everyone involved. Now least of all the families and relatives of the 911. 00 victims who are receiving no closure. Logistics. So i think the only way to basis for that to be some kind of plea deal, whereby these man mates to what they are accused, though we would finally get the truth. Now why they would continues to be how, but would be handled under circumstances where they treated appropriately. And then, you know, these are aging men with physical and Mental Health problems that are not able to be adequately address the guantanamo. And i think it would be, you know, it would be appropriate to see these things taking place as a way of bringing things to a conclusion. Like what im saying. But i dont know whether we going see that because it, so it remains so politically talk say um, particularly i think for republicans, but you know, for some democrats as well. Well, any, ive got a, ive got a follow up with words to question about if theres nothing concerning about these med, why arent these other countries willing to take them . Why, why would they country, why would these other countries say no, keep them out of my borders . Oh, i think the, the, the have been their ongoing discussions between the state departments and various has countries. I think the reason that nothing has happened yet is because its products, it can be difficult for the buy and administration to buy ministration. You know, there is almost no majority anywhere within the us congress. The lines, the democrats to behave in a way that they dont have to constantly look over the shoulders as to what the republicans are going to do. And because theyve republicans and made one side of my section toxic issue. And then its problematic. And at the moment to do so, i mean that would give them an opportunity to lead for them to bite the administration and suggest that the, you know, multi hobbling terrace when what theyre trying to do. As i point today, is released in fine view home. So many weve been unanimously approved for our lease, so it is sometimes it can issue. I dont think theres anything more to steve. A couple of things. First of all, when you are capturing terrorist on the battlefield, you dont have the opportunity to prove that Yellow Police tape gather evidence, you know, take witness statements and, and prove a case like you would in a normal court of law. So some of these guys that are denying that they had anything to do with that, with terrorism or planning or anything else. Its not a matter that they didnt, its a matter of. Can you prove it, based upon how they were, you know, detained or captured in the 1st place . There was one of the episodes that were described to me when i was in Guantanamo Bay, that there was one of the so called terrorist that was about to be released and, and as he was signing his, is papers to leave all of a sudden he reach down for his reading glasses and one of the quick thinking soldiers observing said wait a bit, the lower level drivers and guys that were cleaning out the stalls of, of the animals were wearing reading glasses. So they ran him back through the scrutiny. And it turns out he was a much higher actor in the process than then they thought at that time based upon the difficulty of, of proving anything. I think the other thing is when you have have these folks the fear and its not just republicans, i think, democrats as well that when they are released, they go back out, go back into the practice of terrorism and you know, he does it matter if its 30 percent 40 percent 50 percent. Every deaf after you left, that guy go is blood on the hands of those who approved it and released that i think its, its not necessarily i think the democrats be, or what the republicans might do next. Its what they fear. The terrorist might do next. That would be blamed on them. Well, a steve and your former life. I know that youre an attorney, so i have to ask you, what rights do these prisoners have . They are obviously from other countries and majority of them here in the United States, not saying you know, that what, what are they guaranteed . Well, thats why the big challenge is once you let them step foot in the United States, start going through the Court Process and the us in, in most cases theyre going to be granted the protection because of the constitution, even if they perform their terrorist activities. You know, somewhere else around the world, thats been one of the justifications for having military tribunals which have been historically how these kinds of situations have been handled. Yeah, for, for century, so you dont bring them in to the Typical Court of law because that that opens up a whole pandoras box of what rights should they get . What rights are they entitled to . And how would they abuse those rights . Keep in mind again when i was in contact about that, the soldiers there were not wearing their name tags on their uniforms because of, in some cases the attorneys are these terrorists were getting the names of those that were the jailers. And then somehow they were, they were getting identified and they were getting threatened. So the soldiers couldnt even wear their name tags when they were at Guantanamo Bay for fear the risk themselves and their families. These are very difficult, a difficult and different set of defendants than any else in the world, including anywhere here in the United States. Well, and, and the, im going to ask you now that the United States supposedly, is out of iraq and afghanistan, at least officially does the us still have jurisdiction to hold prisoners from the region. Well, clearly it shouldnt, but you know, i mean there was so many issues going on. Yeah. I mean, you know, no one is in any day that that small number of the people how to guantanamo been associated with terrace. In many other cases, the people that were sent to guantanamo what, by foot soldiers, they were not tyrus. In any sense. They had gone drunk gattis than to fight with the taliban against them. The lines before the 911 attacks. And afterwards they were swept up and so many of these people along with, you know, a lot of completely innocent people rented that by mistake and did that before and tell them so that a soldier as they should have long ago, been released and a, because the conflict with which they received. I jumped to an end, but especially following the withdrawal of the United States from afghanistan. They should have been. The problem is the position thats taken by, you know, parts of the administration and, and perhaps the United States government is that is the associations that these man allegedly had with outside the persist even though the, how soon does it come to an end . So, you know, these are claims that they stayed in and out how you doing affiliated guest times 20 wrong 22. 00 trips 3 years ago, which are supposed to justify carrying on holding that i think that that sense simply intolerable. And i think that it, you know, it is part of the problem and that, that is involved with the establishment of guantanamo in the 1st place. Where what the United States did so fundamentally wrong me was to insist that they could hold people without charging the trial. Um, with that said, he writes whatsoever and failing to recognize that there would be 2 ways of depriving people of liberty lawfully, is to charge them with a crime and put them on trial or hold them as a prisoners of war and to the geneva conventions. So trying to use zone, we still stuck with this foundational problem before kind of this was a prison established a strict people of that, right . So i must say that you know, those 60 men who are awaiting release and theyve been waiting for years. And the reason they havent been for you, it is because of the decisions that were taking to release and were purely administered. In other words, the lawyer is not involved. They cannot go before a judge to ask why it is that the United States that it no longer wants to hold them any still doing so. They are exec, essentially, prisoners of the executive. And you know, and i have to say that the shameful thing, after 22 years is the prison, with a man who of wrote there a big deal of the beginning. What brought there explicitly to be held with that rights is a place west spill. Man, that the United States state says, but it doesnt want to, ill still remain as fundamentally with that. Right . So say, well, i went on the day with the prison and you know, and thats, thats just shameful. That theres no way of dress bring it up in any other way. That is just shape. There is a single stave, and i appreciate you both being on hold right there is this, you know, there is a tie between a recent contender for president and the death of 3 inmates at Guantanamo Bay. Well, lets dig deeper after the break with our panel. The welcome back on sky on hughes, and you are watching the 360 the the worst loss of life. The detention facility occurred in june of 2006. This is 1. 00 to 3. 00 inmates were found hanging from their necks, with hands and feet bound with rags and their throats. A 27 year old member of the judge advocate, general corps, and the most junior jag and the camp was assigned to start collecting the additional evidence, which would later be used in the investigation. That officer lieutenant ron de santis. And what he collected and saw would later be used to concur with the base commanders assessment that the 3 prisoners had killed themselves as an active, a symmetrical warfare wage against the us. We are back and going to continue our discussion about the relevancy of the detention facilities ad Guantanamo Bay with steve gil hosted steve and gil show and take a counter. And andy worthington, who is an investigative journalist, i said, im gonna start with you the segment because advocates for those being held at Guantanamo Bay, say that there are some inconsistencies and contradictions with that specific case of the death of the 3 prisoners governor, randa sanchez would have been successful in his quest for the g o p nomination. This could have been made an issue for him. I think it would have certainly deserved the 2nd book. Uh yeah my, i thought you were describing that as did the did run also investigate the Jeffrey Epstein death in the, in new york prison and just on its face the terms of, of that the investigation sound sounds a little weak and again, it sounds like a top down ordered investigation rather than a real thorough investigation. Well, andy, now to the present time, do you actually think the entire facility should be shut down or you can you find any purpose for it in the future . No, i mean i, i can find no purpose and for its existence and i think you know, the fact that no prison that has been sent to guantanamo since the spring of 2 guys and the night is pretty resigned and signed really. If i am a power water bite id or it was, you know, we had 4 years of donald trump. We started off and sees the asked if hes saying that he wants to send men that, you know, and even with the, the people surrounding him. You know