Revolutionen har nu kommit till Libyen där Khadaffi inte känner för att släppa taget utan vidare. Det råder redan något som liknar inbördeskrig. Khaddaffis son har gått ut på TV och lovat att slå ner upproret med alla medel. Prickskyttar ligger på taken och skjuter domonstranter i huvudet, legosoldater flygs in från grannländerna.

Trots den skoningslöst grymma responsen från regimen tror jag att den faller inom ett par månader, om inte förr (det kan gå fort). Även om det finns väpnade styrkor som är beredda att kämpa för Khadaffi till sista blodsdroppen så börjar delar av armén redan att gå över till demonstranternas sida. Jag misstänker att viktiga medlemmar av militärledningen plus en stor del av det politiska ledarskiktet kommer att överge Khadaffi - de inser att han inte är något att satsa på i ett längre perspektiv och försöker hitta en häst som har större chans att vinna racet.

För att följa utvecklingen på närmare håll och med mycket mera djup än vad SVT erbjuder rekommenderar jag Al Jazeeras engelska kanal:

http://english.aljazeera.net/

Här finns bl a  en blogg som uppdateras i realtid och både video och artiklar som ger en bättre inblick än de svenska kanalerna.

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Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om al jazeera, libyen, khadaffi. revolution, olja, stammar, militärkupp, demonstrationer,

Den här tjejen - Sammie - har själv forskat och intervjuat för att få material till sin skoluppsats. Alltihop är synnerligen läsvärt, men kanske särskilt citatet i slutet av uppsatsen!

“The teacher’s assignment asked the kids to write an opinion piece on an issue that interested them. Sammie chose Gitmo … All of the work is her own, from information that she and I have talked about over the years, from individual research she did, and from an interview she had with my law partner Mari Newman.”

Guantánamo Bay: want to hear an 11 year old girl’s opinion?
By Sammie Killmer

Cuba/Washington DC: What is Guantánamo Bay (also known as Gitmo)? Though at the most Guantánamo Bay had over 775 prisoners, many have been released, but 173 prisoners still remain. This camp was open by the Bush administration since 2002 and President Obama said it would be closed in early 2009 but it still holds 173 prisoners and isn’t closed. It is very disappointing that President Obama said he would have it closed last year and he did not keep his promise. To me it seems that Guantánamo will never close. Many of the prisoners held were and are not terrorists. In fact, many of the prisoners still being held are innocent.

Another problem I have with Gitmo is that some prisoners are on hunger strike and that the guards have the nerve to force feed them. What they do to force food down another person’s throat is just sad. It’s awful.

There are three major camps and seven sub camps. Camp Delta is the biggest camp with seven sub camps. There is also Camp Iguana which use to hold prisoners 18 and younger, but now it holds some detainees set for release back to their home countries. On some websites it claims prisoners at Camp Iguana are allowed TV and to shower twice day, but on the Internet a lot of the articles and information is only the government’s side of the story and not the whole truth.

The number of prisoners left is very, very disappointing: 173 men left at the camp. Also their nationalities are all middle eastern. Over the years the camp has held detainees from Australia, England and other countries, but they have almost all been released. Now the main population is middle eastern men. Some have even been cleared for release.  When you think about someone being cleared to leave camp you think of their last day, but some men have been waiting months and even years because they are set for clearance but the guards and government do not release them back to their home countries.

I had a wonderful opportunity to chat with a Guantánamo Bay Lawyer Mari Newman who has been recognized by the ACLU Civil Rights award for working on this case.

Here is a summary of my interview with her (I did ask for non-classified information):

“How many clients do your firm Killmer, Lane and Newman have?”

“Five”

“How long do you usually meet with them?”

“If their case is going on, all day, but if not half day”

“Are the guards harsh on what they are the permitted to say?”

“The guards are not in the room but there is a camera in the hut and the detainees are chained to the floor”

“Was it hard to get security clearance to go to Guantánamo?”

“Yes it took a long time”

“What briefly was the process to getting cleared?”

“You fill out a very long form with everything about you: where you have lived in the past, past jobs, places you have traveled, everything. A lot of people you know are interviewed”

“How many people are cleared at Killmer, Lane and Newman?”

“There are five of us, Darold, David, Sara, Siddhartha and myself”

“Do you think that all 173 prisoners will be released and Gitmo closed by the end of Obama’s term?”

“No I don’t”

“How would you explain each client?”

“Ok well –

Musa’ab — he was very funny before he was imprisioned in Gitmo. He is still very funny. He has been there since the end of October 2002. He also enjoys soccer.

Abdul Rahman — He is a poet. He is calm. He also loves cream puffs and all types of sweets.

Suhail — He is on hunger strike. He is force-fed. He also likes to read books about all different cultures.

Sa’ad — He is very religious and studies religion. He is shy and quiet.

And Jalal — He talks very fast and likes pictures of very beautiful animals.”

“How do you think Guantánamo affects America’s reputation internationally?”

“Terrible because historically America has been a symbol of freedom and known for our three unalienable rights life, liberty and property and it gives us a terrible reputation.”

We also talked  about how only four Gitmo cases have made it to the supreme court and the supreme court ruled in favor of the detainees in all of them but in the court of appeals many detainees have been ruled against though some have won.

The Guantánamo Bay issue upsets me because it is hard to believe that the US government just thrown people in prison and do nothing with them. I am very disappointed and upset how America has treated many innocent men. I cannot believe it. It’s sad what we have done. I would like to end this with a Ben Franklin quote given to me by Mari Newman:

“Those who give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety”
– BEN FRANKLIN

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Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om politik, guantanamo, barack obama, uppsats, skoluppsats, frihet, svek,