U.S. to demolish isolation cell block at Guantanamo
Commander says a plan to replace facility could ease detainees' meetings with lawyers.
By JOSH GERSTEIN 10/12/2017 08:20 AM EDT
The U.S. military plans to demolish a now-empty "disciplinary" cell block at Guantanamo Bay that was once used to keep prisoners in solitary confinement for long stretches of time, according to the detention center's commander.
Human rights groups and detainee lawyers had harshly criticized the conditions in the 24-cell building known as Camp Five Echo, the existence of which was kept secret for several years after it was built in 2007. However, the decision to raze Camp Five Echo appears to have more to do with the dwindling number of prisoners at Guantanamo than with any complaints.
The war-on-terror detention center at the U.S.-run base in Cuba held 684 men at its peak in 2003, but now has just 41.
Rear Admiral Edward Cashman, who took over as commander of the prison in April, said in a court filing that he plans to knock down the former cell block and build a new structure there to allow detainees to meet privately with their lawyers and Red Cross representatives.
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http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/12/guantanamo-bay-camp-echo-five-demolish-243703?lo=ap_c1