“I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it’s for or against.”

–Malcolm X

Justice, as a concept, seems like a distant achievement everyone recognises to be important but when it really comes to it, is more likely to be ignored or manipulated –like in the case of the famous detention camp; Guantanamo Bay. Not only is it the most expensive prison on earth, costing the US government $800,000per year, but infamous for its brutal interrogation methods – waterboarding, force-feeding through nasal tubes, electrocuting, sleep deprivation and exposure to extreme weather conditions are just to name a few.

Over the years, 780 detainees, who were suspected terrorists waiting for their trial, were kept in the prison for what seemed to be an indefinite period of time. Most of them died waiting for their trial while some waited for 11 to 35 years. The concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ though propagated rigorously is not implemented in its true essence but is manipulated in a way to favour those who, despite being harbingers of human rights, are at fault for labelling it as the ‘greater good’.

On December 19,2016, 17-18 of the detainees were set for transfer under the Obama administration leaving 41-42 prisoners in the camp, a significantly reduced number in comparison. We, as humans, have a tendency to get carried away in our justifications for certain acts but as time progresses people have to stop to ask themselves if their acts are a reflection of what they believe in and if, at the end of the day, the ends justify the means through which you achieve it.