Uyghur Hearing, Round II

This morning at Rayburn, the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight commenced their second hearing in a long series of discussions on the appropriate course of action for the 17 Gitmo Uyghurs. For those just tuning in, these individuals are members of the Turkic minority ethnic group in Xinjiang who have been falsely accused of terrorism by the Chinese government and sent to Guantanamo prison. Because the Uyghur prisoners have been found innocent by the U.S., and also because the Obama administration is seeking to close Guantanamo, the United States has a responsibility to relocate them, and therein lies the nature of the hearings. The case of the Uyghurs has apparently revealed other issues, such as the possible reliance of the U.S. on China's intelligence concerning the Uyghur community, the layers of secrecy surrounding the United States' own intelligence, and most importantly the U.S.' resolve to stand with the oppressed against the oppressor, even when the oppressor is a valued trading partner such as China. I have enjoyed listening to these discussions and can see that Congress is serious in standing by the falsely accused prisoners, despite the relative obscurity of their plight. I have also enjoyed Rep. Bill Delahunt's Massachusetts accent, and will probably never tire of hearing about the "Weegahs". :)