| Republican Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), John Barasso (R-WY), and Mike Johanns (R-NE) held a news conference to discuss their recent trip to the detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Washington, DC : 17 min. |
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today returned from leading a Congressional delegation to visit the detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
"Guantanamo Bay is a world-class detention facility that would be almost impossible to replicate elsewhere," said Brownback. "Rumors of Guantanamo Bay being a black hole are unfounded. I am struck by the contrast between Guantanamo Bay and prisons I have toured in the past. The nature of the detainee population and the threat that these individuals pose affects every detail of the Guantanamo operation from the layout and design of the facilities to the level of legal, medical and other services provided to detainees."
Brownback toured several detention camps, including the camp that holds individuals who plotted the September 11, 2001, attacks. He also visited the Expeditionary Legal Complex, where military commissions are held, and toured the detainee medical facility.
Brownback continued, "Guantanamo's facilities are much different from the military prison at Fort Leavenworth's Disciplinary Barracks. Fort Leavenworth was designed for regular prisoners, not detainees. We cannot force-fit detainees in Leavenworth or in other prisons in the U.S. I look forward to a vigorous discussion of these issues on the Senate floor next week."
Brownback has repeatedly stated that Fort Leavenworth is not an appropriate location to house enemy combatants. He has noted that Fort Leavenworth's primary mission is military education and that moving detainees to the post will alienate the visiting military officers from Islamic nations who participate in vital international military education programs. In addition, he has expressed that Fort Leavenworth is not a suitable location for enemy combatants because the Disciplinary Barracks are primarily a medium security facility housing military prisoners; the proximity of the base to a community airport, farms, and the surrounding City of Leavenworth; and the lack of medical facilities on site, which would require transporting combatants through town to be treated in community hospitals.
"I commend the men and women in uniform who are responsible for the Guantanamo detainee mission," said Brownback. "They are playing a key role in the war on terror with professionalism and determination." -30-
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