Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba – The U.S. military is seeking to improve conditions for many Guantanamo Bay detainees by offering more recreation and activities, including a weekly movie night for the best- behaved, the commander of the detention center said Tuesday.
A year after three suicides and a riot prompted a security overhaul, the military hopes to provide “increased mental stimulation” with expanded recreation areas, Navy Rear Adm. Mark Buzby said in an interview.
“There are certainly benefits to giving them outlets other than sitting in their cell or sitting in their recreation cell for hours at a time with nothing else to exercise their mind or think about other than their situation,” he said.
The easing of conditions marks a new course on discipline at Guantanamo, where the U.S. holds about 375 men on suspicion of terrorism or links to al-Qaeda or the Taliban.
Last year, the military took steps to “harden” the detention center and make it more secure after a riot in one area and the suicides of three detainees.
Defense attorneys said the new measures are unlikely to ease the desperation of men who have been held without charges, many for more than five years.
In recent weeks, the military started allowing detainees to watch soccer matches and programs such as nature documentaries and “Deadliest Catch,” a Discovery Channel series about Alaskan crab-fishing crews.
