Abby Martin Goes to Gitmo

Media Roots Radio

Abby & Robbie Martin

News

4.6 • 827 Ratings

🗓️ 5 September 2014

⏱️ 118 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Recently I traveled to one of the most nefarious prisons in the world: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Despite repeated government pledges to close the infamous detention facility down, 149 men remained indefinitely imprisoned there. According to a Bush administration official, the vast majority of prisoners are innocent, and were either swept up in a dragnet or handed over in exchange for US bounties. It's already hard enough to travel to Gitmo as a journalist, but upon arrival I realized the experience was going to be totally controlled, with 24/7 military official escorts preventing us from going near the detainees I had come to report on. However, I was able to speak with several top brass who serve as defense attorneys for the military commissions, a corrupted system that grants alleged terrorists less rights than in civilian courts. The fact that six men are facing formal charges at the prison in relation to 9/11 & the USS Cole bombing gives the world the false impression that even alleged terrorists get their day in court. In reality, the remaining 143 men never charged with a crime may never get that luxury. My brother Robbie interviewed me about the trip, which is a more personal account than presented on Breaking the Set. Watch my exclusive on-the-ground special about Guantanamo Bay here: http://www.mediaroots.org/guantanamo-bay-an-untold-history-of-occupation-torture-media-brainwashing-sham-trials-resistance/ Follow me @AbbyMartin, and my brother Robbie @fluorescentgrey

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is my story is my make it amaze me to you love to see them. Welcome to Media Roots Radio. This is Robbie Martin. Welcome to Media Roots Radio. This is Robbie Martin.
0:56.8	Welcome to Media Roots Radio.
0:58.2	This is your host, Abby Martin.
1:01.0	I'm just going to basically interview you about your experience at Gitmo.
1:06.4	Yeah, so I just got back from Guantanamo Bay, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
1:13.1	The Best Kept secret in Cuba.
1:15.0	That's what all the shirts say in the gift shop.
1:25.9	Went there for reporting on the 9-11 commission trials that are going on right now that have been going on and could take another year or so to actually complete.
1:29.3	So I got sent down there to do some on the ground reporting,
1:31.7	and it was an extremely crazy experience.
1:37.3	So how did it even get set up in the first place?
1:43.5	So about a month ago, I got this notification of press access,
1:46.0	being able to go there to report on these commissions.
1:53.1	It was the KSM Khalid Sheikh Muhammad trial, along with four other dudes who they're charging with the 9-11 crime. So I got notified of this ability to go there and my boss said you can go.
2:00.8	And it's actually really rare for me to be able to
2:02.6	get out of the studio since I'm anchored to this desk and inside an office setting for five days
2:07.8	out of every week so it's really hard to get you know on on the ground field reporting and take time
2:14.6	off the show so I was really really happy to be able to do it.
2:17.8	And especially somewhere like Guantanamo, which I've been covering, you know,
2:22.0	ever since I started journalism.
2:24.6	So it's just a really great opportunity.
2:26.4	I'm really excited to go.
	...

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