Laurel Fletcher and Eric Stover

As part of his pledge to close Guantánamo, President-elect Obama has committed to reviewing the individual files of the remaining prisoners to determine whether to release them or to charge them with criminal conduct. This process will take months to complete. In the meantime, the new President could take immediate steps that would reverse some of the most troubling aspects of Bush Administration detention policies and send a swift and reassuring message that President Obama is serious about regaining America’s moral stature in the world.

First, President Obama should close immediately all secret prisons and transfer remaining prisoners in U.S. custody to the brig at Fort Leavenworth. The establishment and maintenance of “black site” facilities by the Bush Administration is a national embarrassment. Despite the shroud of secrecy, what has become known about the abuse and, in some cases, torture of detainees in these camps violates international and domestic law. Closing these facilities will signal that the United States will no longer “disappear” terrorism suspects—a familiar practice of authoritarian dictators. Read the rest of this entry »