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Tag Archives: Guantanamo
Dear Guantanamo Detainees
During the American Revolution, one reason the colonial patriots rebelled against England is that they were being transported overseas to be tried. Some were even languishing for years in prison without a fair trial, notes Dallas Darling.
Several days ago when a US judge ruled that five of you must be freed, whom for almost seven years have been held illegally at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba prison facility, it reminded me of what our Western Civilization was “supposed” to become. During the Age of Enlightenment, an Italian philosopher named Cesare Bonesana Beccaria wrote against unjust laws that were used to severely punish and avenge wrongs. He believed the accused were innocent until proven guilty, and that they should be granted a speedy and fair trial with a jury of their peers. He also condemned torture, irregular proceedings in trials, and punishments that were abusive and cruel. For Beccaria, laws existed not only to preserve the social order, but also to compensate the victim and restore the perpetrator.
