BeIR/webis-touche2020 huggingface dataset:
Possibility to Reform

GB's main benefit opp brought up was isolation. However, isolation does not have significant impact to why we shouldn’t close down GB because: 1. Isolation is not a unique benefit that only GB has 2. A contradiction as opp mentions isolation of GB as a benefit and remarks on how GB is one of the most transparent facilities in the world. Isolation and transparency can’t coexist because they undermine each other. Even if transparency was increasing, GB would still have to be shut down because prop sees much greater harms if not shut down immediately. Furthermore, prop would like to remind opp that human right abuses constantly occur as reported by Red Cross [[http://goo.gl/MTZwE]], and Amnesty[[http://goo.gl/KtWKn]], and isolation is encouraging more abuse through ‘secrecy’. They also stated that 1000 journalists in will increase transparency but prop recognizes that this directly undermines the single benefit, isolation, mentioned by the opp. They said that closure would mean waste of resources with huge investments made in the past, but prop sees it is problematic if we continue to invest heavily in GB that has harms that prop brought up. We believe that detainees have their rights to have access to lawyers and habeas corpus but we do not believe that these rights are being protected as mentioned in our C1.Their assumption that the detainees are the world’s greatest terrorists ignores our previous point about only one detainee having been trialed and the rest held under ‘suspicion’. Opp briefly mentions that policies can be changed without affecting the materialistic existence of GB and stated:“evenif something is not efficient enough or is not working properly, it is not a reason to be closed”which implies that opp is also not satisfied with efficiency of GB in status quo and vaguely states that we should improve the standards but does not specify how and whether it will work or whether it will continue to bring forth the harms provided by prop.
Release is not the Solution

The opposition seems to understand that when the shutdown of GB is in order, prisoners will be sent back to their home countries. However, they seem to have failed to understand the impacts of the detainees being sent back. Right now, they provide us with 2 scenarios. One, the detainees will be labeled as POWs and two, the government will treat these people with cruelty and as well, the detainees will return to the terrorist groups. The problem with their first scenario is, they are being treated like POWs when they are not. The opposition seems to believe this is fine because people in GB are criminals. They believe punishment is crucial for these people. Well, the proposition believes evidence is important. We believe people shouldn’t imply that all people in GB are dangerous criminals without proof; there are many reports/articles of many innocent people trapped in GB [http://goo.gl/GSfN] [http://goo.gl/HbRhq]. We believe it is ridiculous and outraging for the innocent to be in GB “because U.S. officials hoped they would know something important.” [http://goo.gl/VEMEJ]. The problem with their second scenario is that the opposition is practically undermining the legal system in countries; capability to deal with these detainees. We really should not undermine the countries’ sovereignty. However, this scenario implies that the government will treat these people like animals without any sort of trials held or proof to decide the sentences. Thus, con is simply saying that US should look down on these countries. This will hurt US reputation regarding both allies and countries being helped; the US soft power will be damaged. This creates conflicts between countries; countries involved in the Arab spring. US, as a part of G8, is helping out the Arab spring; the revolution against the governments and the struggle towards democracy. Creating conflicts/angering the MENA are definitely not what we need right now to win over the trust of people of MENA.
Guantanamo Bay Violates Fundamental Human Rights.

Not only did the proposition fail to show why is it necessary to close GB, it has also misunderstood historical facts. A few of the prisoners have been convicted of various crimes including providing material support for terrorism or celebrating terrorist attacks. As of May 2011, president Obama reversed the provisional order halting new military charges against detainees and therefore the number is expected to grow as there are no more legal obstacles and Obama himself encourages it. Also, the reports of physical abuse put forward by the proposition come from 2004 and there has been none since then and conditions are believed to be better than at US prisons [[http://goo.gl/JfzWF]]. As for the War on Terror, the argument that POWs are not treated correctly because no war is taking place, is also false. According to the US Constitution, any kind of hostilities against a foreign nation must be approved by Congress. Both Iraqi and Afghan War were approved, thus it may be legally considered as a war conflict. Hence, the US may be imprisoning GB inmates until the conflict is over and, unlike the prop suggests, their rights are ensured. Thanks to the presence of the Intl Red Cross, health of the prisoners is being constantly monitored [[http://goo.gl/jfKgH]] to make sure nobody dies due to inappropriate treatment or on-site conditions. Neither party in this debate commends torture if it happened at GB. Still, it can be clearly seen that the situation is getting better and there is not a single reason to close down such a sophisticated facility only because of a few instances of bad treatment. Rather, all resources should be devoted to further improvement so that GB can serve as an ideal place for potentially dangerous suspects. We can see that things are already improving in these days. Thorough investigations of inmates’ crimes are taking place, many of the suspects have been released. In the end, we see no reason to shut down something that works and is reforming.
Consequences of Closure or Continuation

It is unjustified to torture people, innocent or guilty and closing GM will assure this torture ceases. GB wrongfully and tortured detainees. It is in the best interest of the US to “stop torturing, stop arbitrary detention, by closing down the GB detention facilities” [[http://goo.gl/KYjOq]] . There is great discrimination against Muslims in GB. “The international community has sharply criticized the US for detaining the prisoners without formally charging them.. a Pentagon report confirmed that abuses of the QUR’AN had taken place. Guards and interrogates at GM had deliberately thrown, kicked and soiled the volumes of the QUR’AN read by prisoners.”[[http://goo.gl/GWntW]] Detainees are not POWs but suspects of terrorism. Thus, the US has declared the war on terror in a illegitimate way. This is why it is illegitimate to assume detainees as criminals. The extent of torture subjected on the detainees is unfair, for officials at GB don’t have any right to torture suspects as if they were actual criminals. Only one detainee has ever had his day in court. Further, undermining a nation’s sovereignty does not necessarily mean that one invades a different country. What the US gov is doing; looking down upon a nation’s judicial system by taking matters into its own hands, is also considered undermining it. In both WLDs and the Arab world, this is taken as extremely condescending and has increased anti-Americanism. [[http://goo.gl/GKNxG]]Even if GB were to reform and become more transparent, anti-Americanism will increase as long as detainees are not returned to their countries of origin. [[http://goo.gl/gTkZD]] This harms American credibility in the international community, and this will impact trade with other nations; if trade with the US subsides, the economy of the entire world suffers. Also, if GB were to be kept,the US will lose its authority as a leader in human rights and human rights violation will be more prevalent in the world.
Guantanamo Bay is a Symbol of Muslim Discrimination that Fuels Terrorist Sentiments

Firstly, our line needs to be made clear. We don’t like humiliation and strong physical or psychological treatment which can seriously harm prisoners, but in some cases harshness is needed to obtain important information. That was our main point. Additionaly, in our 2nd point we have shown that even if this wasn’t true, GB could still be reformed instead of closing. Proposition supposes that GB brings hatred towards the US and basically is its cause, but it was established only after the WOT started in 2001. Terrorists go against US because they want to, GB is just a pretext. Fanaticism does not have roots in solidarity – attackers don’t blow up buildings in order to free innocent people held in GB. Terror has roots elsewhere: internal problems in the country [[http://goo.gl/JSAA8]], psychological problems of the youth such as narcissism and lust for media attention [[http://goo.gl/9Y0eS]]. Most importantly there are radical Imams who cement their position and power through hate. GB and AG are not alike. GB is an institution for detainment of suspected terrorists and trying to get information from intelligence, whereas AG was a regular prison for Iraqi petty criminals where two sadistic guards, Charles Graner and Lynndie England, did horrible abuse. GB issue is not an ethnic or religious one, it is not a concentration camp for Muslims. Who is to be put there is not decided according to his origin or faith [[http://goo.gl/XGsDQ]] , the determining factor is whether he represents a global danger. Saying that we are against Arabs since they make the majority of the inmates is a logical fallacy. If Arab detainees are the most common, then it means that terrorism is coming from this region – and US task is not to ignore it. We don’t agree with US discriminating against the Arab world, but we stand for US rights to protect itself. The prop is saying that when somebody attacks us, we should stay calm in order not to provoke further anger, hoping to be l
Summary

Three main clash areas in this debate seems to be: 1. Safety of US 2. Impact on US regarding international communities 3. Human rights – justification of torture. Opp’s main argument about US’s national security was release of detainees will be dangerous. Prop isn’t planning on releasing detainees to normal streets of US right away; they will be trialed and held in other prisons or other countries that are willing to accept them. If proven guilty, the detainees may be transferred to other detention centers as it was done after Abu Ghraib shut down. On the other side, GB serves as a fuel for anti-american sentiments and encourages terrorism. Especially explained in our C3, discrimination against Muslims, whether “GB is a Muslim concentration camp” or not, thru disrespect of their religion provides more incentives for terrorists. Secondly, existence of GB isn’t in the best interests of the US. It runs contrary to US’s constitutional beliefs and democracy that US is trying to pursue globally. Violations of human rights are common in GB –opp conceded that some measures were ‘unjustifiable’- and thus many countries are calling upon US to close down the facility. Britain, France and Germany for instance are offering to take in detainees if that were to encourage abolishment of GB. Opp failed to engage our argument about US losing support in WOT and in trade with other countries that do not support GB. Opp believes that torture can be justified but prop sees that the issue is not just about retracting information, but shaking the fundamental framework that western liberal democratic countries wish to spread. Especially HC is one right granted to every individual on earth, yet not to the detainees. Prop wants to make it clear once again that torture is not only unjustified but ineffective. It was the oppositions’ burden to prove the full effectiveness of a facility as cruel as GB, but we haven’t seen a solid example except for two minor terrorist attacks being prevented. The fact is, terrorism doesn’t stop or halt if you prevent a couple of incidents and torture detainees. The situation simply gets worse. Opp stated that GB isn’t the cause of terrorism, but it doesn’t stop terrorism either unfortunately. Prop proved that terrorism further worsens through our third contention, but opp’s burden of GB’s advancement towards stopping terrorism was never met. Prop’s burden throughout this debate was to prove that GB’s harms outweighed benefits. The harms we introduced were: Human rights violation, GB’s lack of Transparency is undemocratic, GB fuels terrorist sentiments and GB harms US’s global reputation/authority. Opp’s burden was to prove that their benefits of GB still supported its existence. Their main benefits were torture, and isolation of GB and we believe that they failed in explaining why these benefits are unique to GB and why these benefits outweigh the harm.
Possibility to Reform

Even if the interrogation techniques in GB would not be justifiable, it is not a necessary reason for closing it. GB has perfect strategic and security conditions, which creates it one of the best prisons. It is located on an island which makes it easy to guard and impossible for detainees to escape. Moreover, detainees can be perfectly isolated, which creates the war against terrorism effective. The investments done in recent years [[http://goo.gl/NAm0v]] improved the security even more and closure would be waste of resources. In that case we can improve transparency of the facility and still be able to use it. GB is quite transparent even today, though: the Red Cross can access it and more than 1,000 journalists have visited it. “In the history of warfare, there has probably never been a detention center more transparent than Guantanamo Bay.” [[http://goo.gl/j2Ati]] Moreover, “there have been no serious allegations of abuse for a long time and prisoners have access to lawyers and and the federal courts oversee habeas corpus cases.” [[http://goo.gl/6QThz]] Journalists would be encouraged to examine the situation leaving no more doubts about what is actually happening behind the walls of GB. In this prison are the most dangerous world’s terrorists and security is required. We see no reason to shut down a facility providing great security. Policies can be changed easily without material things being affected. To conlcude, if something is not efficient enough or is not working properly, it is not a reason to be closed but rather to be improved to get better effectivity and to works according to world standards.
Release is not the Solution

Even if they should not be even kept in the GB, the other possibility by immediate closure would be to release them, because with all legal rights they would be classified as either soldiers and thus POWs this has the advantage that we neutralize the threat and the disadvantage that pursuant article 17 of the Third Geneva Convention [[http://goo.gl/rH9xN]] we cannot interrogate them or try them for killing allied soldiers. However most of the 172 detainees will most likely fall into the suspected criminal category and will have to be charged within 48 hours. Once they are charged - if at all - they will be put before a federal judge who will most likely throw the case out based on the fact that the prosecution has no evidence, after all the detainees were picked up by military intelligence not law enforcement, or there was maltreatment (absence of the writ of Habeas Corpus, torture) or some technicality such as lack of Miranda rights. This means these detainees will be free men. Unfortunately, these people will not return to regular life, but there are 2 scenarios. They will return to their home country, where the government will behave even in the worst way, as we can see in Jordan, Iraq, Egypt or Syria [[http://goo.gl/W2KMr]], where the regime fights against terrorism with worse methods. Other possibility is that they will return to the terrorist group willing to commit another crime.From 598 detainees transferred from GB are 150 confirmed or suspected of later taking part in terrorist activities. [[http://goo.gl/KhX4Q]] According to U.S. officials, several released Guantanamo prisoners are now part of the Yemen-based group al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, including key leaders. [[http://goo.gl/cX7lb]] If we realize that on 9/11 19 terrorists were enough to cause 2 891 deaths and 422 000 cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in NYC alone, the consequences of releasing these terrorists can be tragic. Whichever of the two happens both outcomes are undesirable.
Guantanamo Bay Violates Fundamental Human Rights.

GB is essentially a detention center for suspected terrorists and those who are considered enemies of the US. What is key to underline is the word ‘suspected’. Of these so called terrorists, very few or none of them have actually been proven guilty and only one out of 172 current detainees has been given a trial. [[http://www.reprieve.org.uk/publiceducation/guantanamostats/]] Furthermore these so called prisoners of wars are not being treated according to the international laws for prisoners of war, because the US has not officially declared war, they only give the name of war on terror. UNDHR, Articles 6 and 10 "Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law” and “Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him”. Thus, the American government is violating two of the most fundamental human rights. Unfortunately, these are not the only two rights being violated at GB. It has become clear in the past few years, that US has been using ‘interrogation techniques’ on prisoners that resemble torture. In fact, a UN report recently stated that the prisoners were forced to endure cruel and degrading treatment, even to the point of death. Several autopsies performed on the bodies of GB prisoners have confirmed homicide. The Int Red Cross report on GB revealed that prisoners exhibited signs of sleep deprivation and that there were several signs of physical abuse, a witness even reported the slamming of prisoner’s heads against the wall. [[http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/30/politics/30gitmo.html?_r=2]] The detainees are not allowed outside visits and are held for extended periods of time in solitary confinement, which can be very difficult to bear mentally. Prop sees that undeniable human rights violations are occuring, which we find completely unacceptable.
Consequences of Closure or Continuation

Let’s have a look at the consequences of the closure of GB. Thanks to the fact that many countries have rejected to accept these terrorists, the current detainees might be moved to a different facility, which can be less transparent and less known causing much severe impacts on HR violations. The other option is to release the detainees, which would not be a great solution either. In that case, they would be sent back to their home country, where HR are very often abused more, which opp doesn’t want to support either. We are not undermining sovereignty since we are not interfering in the country. Even if we are, detaining people suspected of terrorism does not interfere into any country´s sovereignty, not even in that whose citizens such suspect happen to be. GB has been running for almost ten years and yet it has not caused problems of legitimacy in the domain of HR and therefore enforcing these rights around the world. If the US really wanted to enforce HR and did not have “legitimacy,” which we claim it still has because no one on the international stage including the US’s sworn enemies have disputed the US’s legitimacy due to GB, it could apply its sizable military, economic and diplomatic power to further protect HR. Moreover, if the country itself sets terrorists free, they very often return to terrorism [[http://goo.gl/N3vX4]] planning another attack, which we think is a rather important point because the impact on HR by another attack might be catastrophic. The closure of GB would not stop the War on Terror in the same way closing Abu Ghraib didn’t solve the anti-American sentiment much. Closing GB is not going to make fanatical terrorists hate us less just as keeping it open won’t cause Egypt or any other Middle-Eastern country to take any steps away from cracking down on terrorists. For one, it is strictly in their interest to crack down on terrorists whether they like us or not because their govts are targets as well.
Guantanamo Bay is a Symbol of Muslim Discrimination that Fuels Terrorist Sentiments

Anti American sentiments have been growing drastically in the Arab world, resulting in protests, complaints and terrorist attacks. The supporters of anti Americanism stated that they believe that the US is very condescending towards their culture and lifestyles, constantly trying to ignore their belief systems to impose its own ways of living upon them.[[ http://goo.gl/GKNxG%5D%5D The clash of cultures led to thousands of deaths in numerous terrorist attacks and thousands more in the WOT. “The Guantanamo facility holds detainees from 30 countries. 94% of Yemenies comprise the plurality-more than one third- of the population. More than 70% of the detainees are citizens of Middle Eastern and North African nations.”[[http://goo.gl/knHBg]] As we prove in our 1st contention, great human rights violations go on in GB. The conditions of GB are said to resemble those of Abu Ghraib (AG), a precedent of GB that was forced to shut down after grotesque harassment was proven to have taken place. A detention centre that also held a population of mainly Middle Eastern citizens, AG specifically designed its tortures and punishments to target the inmates’ religious beliefs, such as forcing them to violate the strict rule against homosexuality. With so many similarities to AG, GB is considered to be a symbol of Muslim discrimination in the Arab world. Thus, the mere existence of GB offends the great Middle Eastern population. No matter how effective or transparent GB were to be, it is still seen as a way to legitimize and justify the Muslim discrimination that is already so prevalent throughout the US. Ultimately, keeping GB will increase anti Americanism and increase terrorism. This will be increasingly dangerous to the hegemony and security of the US, and endanger the lives of thousands more. It is very ironic that the US is spending so much money, time and effort, and killing innocent civilians in the War of Terror while it is fuelling the very cause of terror.