At Gitmo, a fight for your right - to another pen
National Security Reporter Michelle Shephard has traveled to Guantanamo Bay a dozen times. She will be there next week to report on a pre-trial hearing for Canadian prisoner Omar Khadr. To see more about what it’s like inside, go to: www.thestar.com/omarkhadr
This time the argument was over razor wire.
Specifically, a large coil of it that curled along a fence, forming a spiky tunnel and formidable barrier.
If you aimed your camera down the middle, as did Star videographer/editor Randy Risling, then you were left with an artistic illustration of Guantanamo’s security. And any shots of Gitmo, as the infamous U.S. Navy Base in Cuba is known as, are precious because there’s so little you’re allowed to show.
But on this trip last month, the military censors who review our every frame gave the thumbs down. The shot had to be erased for security purposes.
Never mind that all you could see was razor wire and nothing else. Never mind that I’m sure Al Qaeda or any group that wanted to attack Guantanamo probably knew the U.S. military used razor wire. Never mind that if you type “Guantanamo” into Google Earth you can see the entire layout of the base – although to be fair the image isn’t sharp enough to show the razor wire.
The security officer explained that since the wire was on a fence that surrounded a top-secret building (the new courthouse), it could not be filmed – even if the building wasn’t visible. It was but one of the rules that frustrate journalists looking at ways to tell the story of Guantanamo Bay.
There’s no debating there must be intense security at a base where Al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is held.
But each time I go, there seems to be a new or altered rule, which makes you wonder whether the regulations are vital for security. Some restrictions just seem bizarre. At one point, we couldn’t show the shoreline. You could photograph the water. You could shoot the base. But don’t have them in the same shot.
For a period, the old courthouse on the hill was a no-go. Then later you could shoot it – if you didn’t show the antennas on the roof. Now we’re allowed to tape the building when court’s not in session.
If you wanted to go inside the court, more rules. Until last year we were only allowed one pen. If you ran out of ink you were supposed to put up your hand and a soldier would bring you a new one. Now we can bring two.
No open-toed shoes allowed. This rule was out of respect for the Muslim prisoners, a Pentagon official explained. But from where the detainees sit, most in prison-issued flip flops, I’d be surprised they could see my sandals even if they craned their necks.
Our unescorted movements are also a source of contention. When we first moved into the tent city called “Camp Justice” earlier this year, reporters were told that they needed an escort wherever they went. Even for a jog. Feeling trapped, one U.S. colleague made his point by running in a circle around the tents as bewildered soldiers looked on. Now we have a running route where we can go on our own as military police keep tabs by driving by.
Except in June, when this rule was temporarily imposed again. I emerged from the shower tent at one point to see an embarrassed, young reservist waiting for me. For some reason I had needed company to leave the media room. He waited while I changed so we could walk back together.
The public affairs officers now tasked with the job of being our escorts are among the best I’ve worked with. Let’s face it – the military and media are wired differently. They follow rules. We question them. They respect authority. We don’t.
But this unit is smart and they understand journalism and what we need to do.
Problem is, the rules they have to impose trickle down from on high.
And I can’t help but laugh when I envision officials with many stars on their lapels, sitting in a room in the Pentagon, discussing Guantanamo’s razor wire.
Or if two pens are more dangerous than one.
September 7th, 2008 | Category: Kangaroo Kourt, Michelle Shephard, Omar Khadr
| 
Print This Post
| Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL
