Earnest: The Plan to Close Guantanamo Prison is in its Final Stages

On Wednesday, July 22, the White House spokesperson announced that the Obama administration is in the final stages of its plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Josh Earnest stated in a press conference that closing this facility is in the national interest and is a priority for Barack Obama, with government officials in the final stages of drafting a proposal to close the prison and present it to Congress. Earnest's remarks were in response to a question from a reporter regarding a New York Times report that stated the effort to close the prison, which was one of the president's first promises in 2009 at the start of his term, has encountered problems and has 'once again failed.' According to the French news agency, the U.S. president's efforts in recent years to close this prison have faced various obstacles, including congressional opposition. In recent years, the United States has begun transferring Guantanamo prisoners to their home countries or third countries, and this process must continue for the prison to be closed. Currently, less than half of the prisoners remain at Guantanamo, but they also need to be transferred to other locations or sent back to their countries. Earnest emphasized that $100 million is wasted annually just to maintain 116 prisoners. He stated, 'Terrorists use the issue of Guantanamo as a means to recruit forces.' The White House spokesperson stressed that the president has decided to veto the defense spending bill if Congress opposes amendments that make closing Guantanamo more difficult. However, the Associated Press reports that Barack Obama has not succeeded in previous threats to veto similar bills. In this context, the High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for the closure of Guantanamo prison. Is the forced feeding of Guantanamo prisoners ethical? The U.S. acknowledges that in some cases it has crossed ethical boundaries in torture and accepts responsibility for it.