The plight of guantanamo bay prisoners

Francis Aka-eri

someri21@yahoo.com

As freedom fighters of what they believe in, many Arab fighters have been dehumanized by the United States. Held against their will, tortured and tormented to their breaking point over a decade, they have not been found guilty. Yet, they are not free to return home to their families, simply because America is beyond the law.

History will judge and may the truth prevail. But what America has done, is glaringly wrong and daringly peeved to what America is. How could human beings in their rightful minds, be so insensitive and selfish as to sacrifice others for sheer economic gain? Yes, it happens and in western circles it is legal. Since the law in western terminology is no bearing to moral grounds, but rather who wants what and has the means to take it - hook or crook.

The Middle East is in utter ruin and its once vibrant communities cast out to dust on foreign lands which rarely welcome them with open hearts. Simply because western greed sought their oil and petrochemical might through the sale of weapons without regard to what becomes of the innocent man, woman and child. This is western greed, the very worst in human history.

Behind closed doors, this lame president and government of Ghana has taken in Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. And clearly, they did it for money – blood money, which they do not want you and me to know and talk about. The question is; has the United States run out of room to house two prisoners? If not, then why are they shipping prisoners out to other countries besides the United States and Yemen? What about Saudi Arabia? The closest ally of Yemen and United States? Sunni or Shia, these innocent prisoners would find life in Saudi Arabia much closer to what they know to assimilate. Why didn’t Saudi Arabia accept them?

Does the government of Ghana know the whole truth about these prisoners and what they went through while in prison? What is it? What are we going to do with it? Are we going to hold them indefinitely or for a short time? Does this mean that Ghana has entered the wars of the western world and the Middle East? Whose side are we on? And why?

Furthermore, is Ghana prepared to sacrifice the precious lives of our young men and women for such a blind cause? How many lives are we willing to sacrifice? How long? What will Ghana achieve in this tangled mess? When will it end? How will it end?

In fact, while some of us are in favour of welcoming anyone to Ghana, taking prisoners from the United States is clearly not a bright idea. Besides, we are not at war with these prisoners, so why are we holding them captive? What right have we got to hold them? And what message are we sending to the rest of the civilized world?

From the look of things, the president of the United States seeks to keep his campaign promise of closing Gitmo, by simply breaking it up and making it everyone’s problem. In fact, this is not about America or the innocent prisoners held against their will. This is about stroking the ego of Barack Obama - who murdered thousands of Africans in Libya, and beyond.

As victims of slavery, colonialism and cultural imperialism, let’s not forget the ills of western greed which snares our Arab cousins. For the idiocy of our leaders could sink us in a quagmire - we cannot afford. And until such a time when these prisoners are free to return home, let’s treat them with love and respect and not as enemies.