"The Road to Guantanamo"

As you likely know, I’ve been in Amsterdam for almost three weeks now. I’ve been trying to post accounts of our travels to either the class blog (Amsterdam 2006) or my own travel blog (Traveling Without Unraveling). This evening’s activity, however, demands that I post a note here.

My colleague and I, having the weekend off from formal class activities, decided to go see “The Road To Guantanamo.” I knew that it would be depressing and would just generally piss me off. That’s pretty much of an understatement. The first thing I said to my colleague as we were leaving was, “Can I just rip up my passport and stay here?” Even if only a part of the account of activities at “Gitmo” is true - and I’m definitely not saying that’s the case - it would be truly disgusting. There’s a clip of Rumsfeld saying, with regard to Guantanamo, “There is no doubt in my mind that the treatment is humane and appropriate and consistent with the Geneva Convention, for the most part.” For the most part? WTF?

Call it a docudrama or whatever you wish, the fact remains that the disregard that the U.S. has shown for human rights is deplorable. The movie opens in the states on 23 June. Interestingly, the Motion Picture Association of America has banned the original poster, above, advertising the film. Seems they don’t like the idea of people actually seeing a shackled prisoner with a bag over his head. Sex, violence, misogyny? No problem. The truth? Nah.

On a related note, one of our visits here was to the International Criminal Court in Den Haag. We received an overview of the Court and then met with the judge who is currently serving as President of the Pre-Trial Division of the Court. As you may know, the U.S. was initially, under President Clinton, involved in the formation of the Court. Under Bush, we have withdrawn our support. My colleague – a bit more bold than I – asked the judge whether he thought that, perhaps, the U.S. had withdrawn their support out of fear of being hauled before the Court themselves. He was a bit cagey in his response, but did not deny the possibility.

At another meeting with two key faculty at the School for Human Rights Research at Utrecht University, she asked the same question. As academics – rather than judges – they were a little more forthcoming with their opinions. Seems we’re not the only ones thinking that Bush and his cronies are a mite afraid of someday being held accountable. We live and hope…