USA Kamunting
I came across this article in CounterPunch
Calling the Kettle Black
U.S. Hypocrisy and the Malaysian Guantánamo
By JOANNE MARINER
"It's Malaysia's Guantanamo," the woman told me. I was visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week, to talk to an activist from a local human rights group. The group, SUARAM, has been leading a fierce campaign to abolish Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA), a law under which more than 70 men are currently held in preventive detention.
Some of the men are suspected of belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamist group responsible for terrorist bombings in Bali and elsewhere. Others are accused of common crimes like forgery. What they have in common--and what links them to detainees at Guantanamo--is that they are being held in long-term detention without charge or trial.
U.S. Hypocrisy and the Malaysian Guantánamo
By JOANNE MARINER
"It's Malaysia's Guantanamo," the woman told me. I was visiting Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week, to talk to an activist from a local human rights group. The group, SUARAM, has been leading a fierce campaign to abolish Malaysia's Internal Security Act (ISA), a law under which more than 70 men are currently held in preventive detention.
Some of the men are suspected of belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a militant Islamist group responsible for terrorist bombings in Bali and elsewhere. Others are accused of common crimes like forgery. What they have in common--and what links them to detainees at Guantanamo--is that they are being held in long-term detention without charge or trial.
Guantanamo and Kamunting
While their purported concern for detainees at Guantanamo was opportunistic, at best, the Malaysian authorities have a point. No country has a perfect human rights record, and it would be folly to insist that only countries with outstanding records have the moral standing necessary to point out others' shortcomings. Still, it is not easy for the U.S. government--as it fights to prevent detainees at Guantanamo from challenging their imprisonment in court--to give convincing lessons to Malaysia on these issues.
While their purported concern for detainees at Guantanamo was opportunistic, at best, the Malaysian authorities have a point. No country has a perfect human rights record, and it would be folly to insist that only countries with outstanding records have the moral standing necessary to point out others' shortcomings. Still, it is not easy for the U.S. government--as it fights to prevent detainees at Guantanamo from challenging their imprisonment in court--to give convincing lessons to Malaysia on these issues.
A Malaysian at Guantanamo
Last year, Mohd Farik Bin Amin, one of two Malaysian detainees held at Guantanamo, was granted an administrative hearing. One of the questions he asked was whether the Malaysian government could demand his extradition.
It's not much of a choice: indefinite detention at Guantanamo or indefinite detention under the ISA. Hopefully, in both countries, fairer options will soon emerge.
Joanne Mariner is a human rights lawyer.
Last year, Mohd Farik Bin Amin, one of two Malaysian detainees held at Guantanamo, was granted an administrative hearing. One of the questions he asked was whether the Malaysian government could demand his extradition.
It's not much of a choice: indefinite detention at Guantanamo or indefinite detention under the ISA. Hopefully, in both countries, fairer options will soon emerge.
Joanne Mariner is a human rights lawyer.
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