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NEW YORK - A holiday colony it plainly will never be, but the American officers running the Guantanamo Bay compound on the island of Cuba are taking steps to make the lives of its detainees more tolerable with recreational treats such as once-a-week film nights and limited access to television.
The steps, though limited, mark a change of tack for the American military after months of seeking to toughen discipline at the controversial facility after unrest in one of its sections - Camp 4 - erupted last year with a brief riot and the suicides of three of its inmates.
It is in Camp 4, which is reserved for the most compliant of the prisoners, that the first changes are being instituted. Its roughly 45 detainees - out of a total of 375 still at Guantanamo - have already been allowed to tend a vegetable garden and catch television shows selected by officers.
The idea is to provide the inmates, most of whom are accused of ties with al Qaeda or the Taleban, with "increased mental stimulation", Navy Rear Admiral Mark Buzby told AP. Another innovation is the expansion of language classes, both Arabic and English, for detainees who must nonetheless sit in classrooms with one ankle chained to the floor.
About 100 inmates have been released over the past year. Buzby said reduced numbers made discipline easier.
Many of the inmates have now remained at the camp for five years without having specific charges brought against them. The White House recently indicated that it planned to move inmates elsewhere and close the complex. Buzby said his changes would go forward regardless.
- INDEPENDENT
