(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in the United States have differing opinions on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, according to a poll by CBS News. 46 per cent of respondents think the facility should continue to operate, while 44 per cent support its proposed closure.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in the United States have differing opinions on the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, according to a poll by CBS News. 46 per cent of respondents think the facility should continue to operate, while 44 per cent support its proposed closure.
In May 2005, a 308-page report by the human rights watchdog Amnesty International criticized the U.S. government for its handling of prisoners in several detention centres, including one at Guantanamo Bay where about 400 "enemy combatants"—most of them from Afghanistan—were being held. Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have urged the federal administration to close the prison.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. In November 2008, Democratic nominee Barack Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate John McCain. On Jan. 20, Obama became the first African American president in U.S. history, replacing Republican George W. Bush.
On Jan. 22, Obama ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, declaring, "The message that we are sending around the world is that the United States intends to prosecute the ongoing struggle against violence and terrorism. We are going to do so vigilantly; we are going to do so effectively; and we are going to do so in a manner that is consistent with our values and our ideals."
On Feb. 16, House speaker Nancy Pelosi commented on the fate of the Guantanamo inmates after the prison is closed, saying, "President Obama has said that he will have a review of every situation, every person, at Guantanamo to establish the facts of why they are there. When that is determined, there will be some resolution of what to do with these people, some going back to their country of origin."
Polling Data
As you may know, for the past seven years the United States has been holding a number of suspected terrorists at a U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Based on what you have heard or read, do you think the U.S. should continue to operate the prison, or do you think the U.S. should close the prison and transfer the prisoners somewhere else?
|
Continue to operate |
46% |
|
Close the prison |
44% |
|
Unsure |
10% |
Source: CBS News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 864 American adults, conducted from Feb. 2 to Feb. 4, 2009. No margin of error was provided.
