US Government Blocks the Release of Guantanamo Uighurs

"An US federal appeal court has blocked a judge's order that 17 Chinese detainees at the Guantanamo Bay camp should immediately be released."



Washington is having much debate over the release of 17 Uighur Muslims. The 17 were captured by Pakistanis in Afghanistan in 2001. No charges have been filed against the group, yet they have been held at Guantanamo ever since. Originally, they were supposed to appear in court Friday and be released to stay with acquaintances in the Washington area. The appeal court has made the date later to give lawyers (on both sides) a longer time to present their arguments.

The group was set to be released in 2004, but the US denied their release with a claim that they would be persecuted in China. Some of the group are afraid that they will be tortured if they return to China. The Uighurs were not released into the US for fear of a threat to national security. The latter excuse for denying their release is ludicrous because there has been no evidence that this group is a security risk. The Bush Administration has not released the detainees because no other government wants them to resettle in their country and the group would be in danger in China. The administration says that they should remain in Guantanamo.

The Chinese government is not handling the situation much better. The Chinese government insists that the group needs to be released into their custody, claiming that "Beijing has waged a campaign against what it calls their violent separatist activities."

Although this group of Uighurs are not U.S. citizens, they should still receive certain rights. I am not sure if the law requires them to be given equal rights, but they should not have been held for several years without evidence against them. The constitution requires that people receive a trial to determine guilt shortly after being charged, also nobody can be imprisoned without a probable cause. The detainment of this group is unnecessary and the detained should be given the option to return to China, remain in the United States, or move to another country.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7660399.stm