After six years, it's time to end silence

Six years ago Jan. 11, the first prisoners arrived at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And for these last six years, our president and his administration have repeatedly refused to grant fair hearings to those held there.

And America, the beacon of freedom and human rights around the world, remains largely silent.

Sadly, I count myself as among the guilty. I'm trained as a lawyer. I took pride in law school as I studied how our founders enshrined a respect for human rights into our Declaration of Independence and Constitution.

I'm also trained as a Catholic priest, a member of the Viatorian religious order. I believe in a God that stands with those who are powerless and denied their basic human rights. I believe in a God who calls believers to struggle and sacrifice to protect the human rights of all people.

And yet, as a lawyer and a priest, I've been too silent.

Meanwhile, hundreds of men languish in a prison amidst allegations of abuse and torture, with no opportunity to prove their innocence. I've not spoken out enough.

How about you? Our nation holds hundreds hostage and refuses to grant them a hearing recognized internationally as fair. Is that OK with you? These men were apprehended and shipped thousands of miles from home without any hearing in their home country, without an opportunity to face their accusers. Is that OK with you? Some of these "men" were boys when they were incarcerated. Is that OK with you?

Can we seriously question why other nations think less of us when we argue that we have the right to hold people prisoner without trial? Can Americans who profess faith in God do so with a clean conscience while our leaders imprison people in this fashion?

I teach students at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights. At St. Viator, we continually challenge our students to stand up, show courage and speak out for fellow students victimized by gossip or bullies.

Can we look our young people in the eyes and teach them to treat each person with dignity while we turn our eyes away from the shame of Guantanamo?

I can't. So I call for the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. I join my voice to others who have condemned it, including former Secretary of State Colin Powell. And I do so in the name of all the values we claim to hold dear and, more importantly for me, in the name of the God who will judge my life.

It's been six years. It's time to speak out and speak loudly.

Fr. Corey Brost, C.S.V.

Arlington Heights