To the editor:

More than 500 detainees are being held at a naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The detainees are being held for an indefinite period in relation to terrorist activities, including 9-11 The U.S. government rationalizes their detention by claiming they are collecting valuable intelligence on terrorist networks.

The problem Guantanamo Bay detention centers face is what to do with the detainees. They can release them, prosecute them or, what seems to be most popular, detain them for an indefinite period. Under the laws of the Geneva Convention, captured combatants may be detained without charges until the end of active hostilities.

The problem is there is no clear-cut end to the “War on Terror.” This war is not pinpointed to one country or the overturning of a government. This war is much like the War on Drugs, where no end can be seen. This situation is comparable to Japanese internment camps during World War II. There was a specific enemy and a specific “end to hostilities” with the surrender of Japan.

The United States needs to find out what to do with this new gray area surrounding Guantanamo Bay, because indefinite detention is hardly a solution in terms of humanity and morality. I, for one, am disappointed at looking back upon American history and seeing such injustices that are being repeated in my own generation.

Kyle Black,

Lawrence