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Inside Guantánamo Bay

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How many of your photos were axed?
We were allowed very little. Even if they were trying to be very sensitive, we would go in and they would delete most of the shots. They killed 250 of my pictures, which left me with not much else. No cropping or retouching allowed. You couldn't download them yourself before you got to Censorship. If a [security] camera was in the very far end of the picture, even if they couldn't see it, the guys from Censorship would know it was there and kill the picture. Getting video was almost impossible. If a detainee turned around and you could only see part of his nose--they'd kill the footage. [Pentagon spokesmen authorized to speak on Guantánamo matters were attending the arraignment of top Al Qaeda detainees and did not return calls requesting comment.]

You weren't happy with that, so you fought to get back in a second time?
After the first time, I thought, I don't have a story, I need a second chance. They were totally inflexible, but I did get a second chance at Camp Four. I was exhausted from fighting. It was a nightmare. I was disappointed because I thought I would get better access, a more complete story. It was richer than the previous trip, though.

Were you happy with the end result?
Based on what I've seen shot in the past and the reaction of editors being very happy with what I'd done, I guess I did get some kind of a result--even though I left thinking I was missing something, that I didn't go deep enough. As much as [Guantánamo officials] try to portray transparency, my feeling was that we were not getting what we came for.

Your video features snapshots of rather large iguanas. They're actually in the detention camp?
There are huge iguanas all over Guantánamo Bay. Even inside the detainee camps. The iguanas are totally protected [as an endangered species]. If an American soldier runs over an iguana, the fine is $10,000. The soldiers are very careful.

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Posted By: mouselion @ 06/09/2008 7:01:30 AM

Who sets the fine for running over the iguanas, the military?
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Posted By: joe_mama @ 06/08/2008 2:36:37 PM

no disrespect ahmed, but the change in governments won't change anything.

For the record, I am far more concerned about mistaken identities and misinformation (I know it's hard to believe, but a terrorist may actually lie about his/her associations to throw investigators off) than I am about their "rights" as detainees. I do not support torture (there's no proof that it works) but I do not feel as though these individuals should be given the same rights as prisoners of war.

In other words, I'm stuck about what to do with these individuals....and I'm actually a moderate! There are far stronger feelings in both liberal and conservative circles, and any mention of rights is answered with "9/11", "Khalid Shiek Mohammed" and "soft on terror". No American politician of any standing will talk about these individuals, so they are likely to continue to suffer indefinately.

And, no, I'm not proud of it.
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Posted By: Mimebinha @ 06/06/2008 7:10:26 AM

It is interesting how we forget that the detainees at Guantanamo are just that - detainees; not criminals.
They were detained for taking up arms against the US or coalition allies and by Common Article III of the Geneva Conventions are unpriviliged beligerents and by Geneva (international law) the US has the right to detain them until the end of hostilities. It is not about guilt or innocence; it is the capability and intent to do harm to the US that keeps the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

Several hundred of detainees have been returned to their home countries, and by Department of Defense reporting some have returned to terrorism. Including a Kuwaiti who was a suicide bomber in Iraq last month. (www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/05/07/gitmo.bomber)

Unfortunately, the cited independent and reliable sources provide their opinion, and those are taken at face value instead of being analyzed or filtered through critical thought and factual research.