Inside Guantanamo Bay
As part of an upcoming inside look at the prison at Guantanamo Bay set to air April 5, National Geographic has put together some interesting behind-the-scenes interviews with the prison guards there. Not surprisingly, the guards — well aware of the camera they’re talking to — come off as extremely well-trained and sensitive to the needs of their prisoners, many of whom have been stuck in the prison without charge for up to seven years, and often for long periods in isolation.
While some of the guards may indeed be that sensitive, given the complaints of torture and brutality we’ve heard from former Guantanamo prisoners — and recent reports that the abuse has gotten worse — I’m skeptical that they’re all quite so thoughtful.
As Guantanamo detainee defense lawyer David Remes put it to me this morning: “Had National Geographic been to Abu Ghraib, you’d have had a similarly flattering portrait.”
Check out a clip from National Geographic after the jump.
