The secret US prisons you've never heard of before | Will Potter

Translator: Belén Fernández González Reviewer: Anna Comas-Quinn

Father Daniel Berrigan once said that "writing about prisoners

El pare Daniel Berrigan un cop va dir "escriure sobre els presos

is a little like writing about the dead."

és una mica com escriure sobre els morts."

I think what he meant is that we treat prisoners as ghosts.

Crec que volia dir que tractem els presos com a fantasmes.

They're unseen and unheard.

Ningú no els veu ni els escolta.

It's easy to simply ignore them

És més fàcil ignorar-los

and it's even easier when the government goes to great lengths to keep them hidden.

i més fàcil encara quan el govern fa un gran esforç per amagar-los.

As a journalist, I think these stories

Com a periodista, crec que aquestes històries

of what people in power do when no one is watching,

del que fa la gent al poder quan ningú no els veu,

are precisely the stories that we need to tell.

són precisament les històries que s'han d'explicar.

That's why I began investigating

Això em va fer investigar

the most secretive and experimental prison units in the United States,

les presons més secretes i experimentals dels Estats Units,

for so-called "second-tier" terrorists.

per als anomenats terroristes de segona.

The government calls these units Communications Management Units or CMUs.

El govern les anomena Unitats de Gestió de la Comunicació o CMU.

Prisoners and guards call them "Little Guantanamo."

Els presos i els guàrdies en diuen la "Petita Guantànamo."

They are islands unto themselves.

Són illes en si mateixes.

But unlike Gitmo they exist right here, at home,

Però a diferència de Guantànamo es troben aquí mateix, a casa,

floating within larger federal prisons.

flotant dintre d'altres presons federals més grans.

There are 2 CMUs.

Hi ha 2 CMU.

One was opened inside the prison in Terre Haute, Indiana,

Una va obrir dins la presó de Terre Haute, Indiana,

and the other is inside this prison, in Marion, Illinois.

i l'altra és dins d'aquesta presó, a Marion, Illinois.

Neither of them underwent the formal review process

Cap no va seguir el procés de revisió

that is required by law when they were opened.

que la llei requereix quan es van obrir.

CMU prisoners have all been convicted of crimes.

Tots els presos a les CMU han estat condemnats.

Some of their cases are questionable and some involve threats and violence.

Alguns casos són qüestionables, altres inclouen amenaces i violència.

I'm not here to argue the guilt or innocence of any prisoner.

No rebatré la culpabilitat o la inocència dels presos.

I'm here because as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said,

Sóc aquí perquè com va dir el jutge de la Cort Suprema Thurgood Marshall

"When the prisons and gates slam shut,

"Quan les portes de les presons es tanquen

prisoners do not lose their human quality."

els presos no perden la qualitat humana."

Every prisoner I've interviewed has said there are three flecks of light

Tots el presos que he entrevistat diuen que hi ha tres raigs de llum

in the darkness of prison:

a l'obscuritat de la presó:

phone calls,

les trucades,

letters

les cartes,

and visits from family.

i les visites dels familiars.

CMUs aren't solitary confinement, but they radically restrict all of these

Les CMU no són presons d'aïllament, però limiten tot això radicalment

to levels that meet or exceed the most extreme prisons in the United States.

a nivells que igualen o superen les presons més extremes dels EEUU.

Their phone calls can be limited to 45 minutes a month,

Les trucades es poden limitar a 45 minuts al mes,

compared to the 300 minutes other prisoners receive.

comparat amb el 300 minuts d'altres presos.

Their letters can be limited to six pieces of paper.

Les cartes es poden limitar a sis fulls.

Their visits can be limited to four hours per month,

Les visites es poden limitar a 4 hores al mes,

compared to the 35 hours that people like Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph

comparat amb les 35 que l'Eric Rudolph, que va bombardejar el Parc Olímpic,

receive in the supermax.

té a la de màxima seguretat.

On top of that, CMU visits are non-contact which means prisoners are not allowed

A més, a les visites de les CMU no hi ha contacte, i els presos

to even hug their family.

no poden ni abraçar la família.

As one CMU prisoner said,

Com va dir un pres d'una CMU,

"We're not being tortured here, except psychologically."

"Aquí no ens torturen, excepte psicològicament."

The government won't say who is imprisoned here.

El govern no dirà qui hi ha empresonat aquí.

But through court documents, open records requests

Però a través de documents dels jutjats, peticions obertes de registres

and interviews with current and former prisoners,

i entrevistes amb antics i actuals presos,

some small windows into the CMUs have opened.

s'han obert petits forats en les CMU.

There's an estimated 60 to 70 prisoners here,

Calculem que aquí hi ha entre 60 i 70 presos,

and they're overwhelmingly Muslim.

i la majoria són musulmans.

They include people like Dr. Rafil Dhafir,

Tenen gent com el Dr. Rafil Dhafir,

who violated the economic sanctions on Iraq by sending medical supplies

que va violar les sancions econòmiques a Iraq enviant subministraments mèdics

for the children there.

per als nens.

They've included people like Yassin Aref.

També hi ha gent com el Yassin Aref.

Aref and his family fled to New York from Saddam Hussein's Iraq as refugees.

Amb la família van fugir de l'Iraq,

de Saddam Hussein, com a refugiats, cap a Nova York.

He was arrested in 2004 as part of an FBI sting.

Va ser arrestat el 2004 en una operació de l'FBI.

Aref is an imam and he was asked to bear witness to a loan,

L'Aref és un imam i li van demanar ser testimoni d'un préstec,

which is a tradition in Islamic culture.

que és una tradició a la cultura islàmica.

It turned out that one of the people involved in the loan was trying to enlist

Va resultar que un dels participants volia reclutar algú

someone else in a fake attack.

per a una simulació d'atac.

Aref didn't know.

L'Aref no ho sabia.

For that, he was convicted

Per això, va ser condemnat

of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist group.

per conspiració, per oferir suport material a un grup terrorista.

The CMUs also include some non-Muslim prisoners.

Les CMU també inclouen presos que no són musulmans.

The guards call them "balancers,"

Els guardians els anomenen "equilibradors"

meaning they help balance out the racial numbers,

perquè ajuden a equilibrar les estadístiques racials,

in hopes of deflecting law suits.

per evitar plets.

These balancers include animal rights and environmental activists

Inclouen

defensors dels animals i activistes mediambientals

like Daniel McGowan.

com el Daniel McGowan.

McGowan was convicted of participating in two arsons

En McGowan va ser condemnat per participar en dos incendis

in the name of defending the environment

en nom de la defensa del medi ambient

as part of the Earth Liberation Front.

com a part del "Front de Llibertat per la Terra".

During his sentencing, he was afraid that he would be sent

Durant el judici tenia por que l'enviessin

to a rumored secret prison for terrorists.

a una suposada presó secreta per a terroristes.

The judge dismissed all those fears,

El jutge va desestimar aquesta por,

saying that they weren't supported by any facts.

dient que els rumors no eren certs.

But that might be because the government hasn't fully explained

Però això pot ser perquè el govern no ha explicat del tot

why some prisoners end up in a CMU,

per què alguns presos acaben a les CMU,

and who is responsible for these decisions.

i qui és responsable d'aquestes decisions.

When McGowan was transferred, he was told

Quan McGowan va ser transferit, li van dir

it's because he is a "domestic terrorist,"

que era perquè era un "terrorista nacional",

a term the FBI uses repeatedly when talking about environmental activists.

un terme que l'FBI utilitza molt quan parla d'activistes mediambientals.

Now, keep in mind there are about 400 prisoners in US prisons

Ara, penseu que hi ha 400 presos a les presons dels EEUU

who are classified as terrorists,

classificats com a terroristes,

and only a handful of them are in the CMUs.

i només un grapat són en una CMU.

In McGowan's case, he was previously at a low-security prison

En McGowan es trobava primer a una presó de baixa seguretat

and he had no communications violations.

i no tenia cap infracció de comunicació.

So, why was he moved?

Llavors, per què el van traslladar?

Like other CMU prisoners,

Com altres presos de CMU,

McGowan repeatedly asked for an answer, a hearing,

McGowan continua demanant una resposta, una vista judicial,

or some opportunity for an appeal.

o una oportunitat per apel·lar.

This example from another prisoner shows how those requests are viewed.

L'exemple d'un altre pres mostra com es tracten aquestes peticions.

"Wants a transfer." "Told him no."

"Vol que el transfereixin." "Se li ha dit que no."

At one point, the prison warden himself recommended McGowan's transfer

El mateix guàrdia de la presó va recomanar traslladar en McGowan

out of the CMU citing his good behavior,

fora de la CMU per bon comportament,

but the warden was overruled

però ho va denegar

by the Bureau of Prison's Counterterrorism Unit,

la Unitat Antiterrorista del Departament de Presons

working with the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the FBI.

que treballa amb el Grup de Lluita Antiterrorista de l'FBI.

Later I found out that McGowan was really sent to a CMU

Després vaig saber que en McGowan va acabar en una CMU

not because of what he did,

no pel que havia fet,

but what he has said.

sinó pel que havia dit.

A memo from the Counterterrorism Unit cited McGowan's "anti-government beliefs."

Un document de la Unitat Antiterrorista citava

les seves "creences antigovernamentals".

While imprisoned, he continued writing about environmental issues,

A la presó, continuava escrivint sobre problemes mediambientals,

saying that activists must reflect on their mistakes

dient que els activistes han de pensar en els seus errors

and listen to each other.

i escoltar-se uns als altres.

Now, in fairness, if you've spent any time at all in Washington, DC,

Ara, sincerament, si heu estat a Washington DC,

you know this is really a radical concept for the government.

sabreu que aquest és un concepte realment radical pel govern.

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

I actually asked to visit McGowan in the CMU.

De fet jo vaig demanar una visita a en McGowan a la CMU.

And I was approved.

I la van aprovar.

That came as quite a shock.

Això em va sobtar.

First, because as I've discussed on this stage before,

Primer, perquè com he dit abans

I learned that the FBI has been monitoring my work.

vaig saber que l'FBI havia estat seguint la meva feina.

Second, because it would make me the first and only journalist to visit a CMU.

Segon, perquè seria el primer i l'únic periodista que visités una CMU.

Fins i tot vaig saber

I had even learned

through the Bureau of Prisons Counterterrorism Unit,

a través de la Unitat Antiterrorista del Departament de Presons,

that they had been monitoring my speeches about CMUs, like this one.

que seguien les meves xerrades sobre CMU, com aquesta.

So how could I possibly be approved to visit?

Com podia ser que m'aprovessin la visita?

A few days before I went out to the prison, I got an answer.

Dies abans d'anar a la presó, vaig tenir la resposta.

I was allowed to visit McGowan as a friend, not a journalist.

Em deixaven visitar en McGowan com a amic, no com a periodista.

Journalists are not allowed here.

Els periodistes no hi tenen accés.

McGowan was told by CMU officials that if I asked any questions

Els oficials de la CMU li van dir a en McGowan que si jo preguntava

or published any story,

o publicava cap història,

that he would be punished for my reporting.

ell seria castigat pel que jo digués.

When I arrived for our visit, the guards reminded me

Quan vaig arribar a la visita, em van recordar

that they knew who I was and knew about my work.

que sabien qui era i coneixien la meva feina.

And they said that if I attempted to interview McGowan,

I van dir que si intentava entrevistar a en McGowan,

the visit would be terminated.

s'acabaria la visita.

The Bureau of Prisons describes CMUs as "self-contained housing units."

El Departament de Presons descriu les CMU com a "unitats de reclusió independents".

But I think that's an Orwellian way of describing black holes.

Però crec que és una manera Orwelliana de descriure forats negres.

When you visit a CMU,

Quan visites una CMU,

you go through all the security checkpoints that you would expect.

passes per tots els registres de seguretat que t'esperaries.

But then the walk to the visitation room is silent.

Però el camí fins a la sala de visites és silenciós.

When a CMU prisoner has a visit, the rest of the prison is on lockdown.

Quan un pres d'una CMU té visita, es tanquen totes les cel·les.

I was ushered into a small room,

Em van portar a una habitació petita,

so small my outstretched arms could touch each wall.

tan petita que obrint els barços tocava les dues parets.

There was a grapefruit-sized orb in the ceiling

Al sostre hi havia una càmera de la mida d'una taronja

for the visit to be live-monitored by the Counterterrorism Unit

perquè la Unitat Antiterrorista pugués seguir la visita

in West Virginia.

des de West Virginia.

The unit insists that all the visits have to be in English for CMU prisoners,

La unitat insisteix que totes les visites a les CMU han de ser en anglès,

which is an additional hardship for many of the Muslim families.

que és un problema adicional per a moltes famílies musulmanes.

There is a thick sheet of foggy, bulletproof glass

Hi ha un vidre antibales entelat

and on the other side was Daniel McGowan.

i a l'altre costat estava en McGowan.

We spoke through these handsets attached to the wall

Vam parlar per uns telèfons que hi havia a la paret

and talked about books and movies.

de llibres i de pel·lícules.

We did our best to find reasons to laugh.

Vam esforçar-nos en trobar raons per riure.

To fight boredom and amuse himself while in the CMU,

Per combatre l'avorriment i entretenir-se a la CMU,

McGowan had been spreading a rumor that I was secretly the president

en McGowan havia dit que jo era, en secret, el president

of a Twilight fan club in Washington, DC

d'un club de fans de 'Crepuscle' de Washington DC.

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

For the record, I'm not.

Que consti que no ho sóc.

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

But I kind of the hope the FBI now thinks that Bella and Edward

Però m'agradaria que l'FBI ara pensés que Bella i Edward

are terrorist code names.

són noms en codi de terroristes.

(Laughter)

(Rialles)

During our visit, McGowan spoke most and at length about his niece Lily,

Durant la visita, en McGowan em va parlar molt de la seva neboda Lily,

his wife Jenny and how torturous it feels to never be able to hug them,

de la Jenny, la seva dona, i l'agonia de no poder abraçar-les mai,

to never be able to hold their hands.

no poder agafar-los les mans.

Three months after our visit, McGowan was transferred out of the CMU

Tres mesos després de la visita, el van treure de la CMU

and then, without warning, he was sent back again.

i després, sense cap avís, l'hi van tornar a portar.

I had published leaked CMU documents on my website

Jo havia publicat documents filtrats de la CMU a la meva web

and the Counterterrorism Unit said that McGowan had called his wife

i la Unitat Antiterrorista deia que en McGowan havia trucat

and asked her to mail them.

a la seva dona per demanar-li que els enviés.

He wanted to see what the government was saying about him,

Volia saber el que el govern deia d'ell,

and for that he was sent back to the CMU.

i per això el van tornar a enviar a la CMU.

When he was finally released at the end of his sentence,

Quan el van alliberar al final de la sentència,

his story got even more Kafkaesque.

tot això es va tornar encara més kafkià.

He wrote an article for the Huffington Post headlined,

Va escriure un article per al Huffington Post titulat

"Court Documents Prove I was Sent to a CMU for my Political Speech."

"Documents judicials proven que vaig ser a una CMU pel meu discurs polític"

The next day he was thrown back in jail for his political speech.

El dia següent el van tornar a la presó pel seu discurs polític.

His attorneys quickly secured his release,

Els seus advocats el van treure ràpidament,

but the message was very clear:

però el missatge era molt clar:

Don't talk about this place.

No parlis d'aquest lloc.

Today, nine years after they were opened by the Bush administration,

Avui, 9 anys després que l'administració de Bush les obrís,

the government is codifying how and why CMUs were created.

el govern està codificant com i per què es van crear les CMU.

According to the Bureau of Prisons,

Segons el Departament de Presons,

they are for prisoners with "inspirational significance."

són per a presos amb un "significat inspirador".

I think that is very nice way of saying these are political prisons

Crec que és una bona manera de dir que són presons polítiques

for political prisoners.

per a presos polítics.

Prisoners are sent to a CMU because of their race,

S'envien el presos a les CMU per la seva raça,

their religion or their political beliefs.

la religió o les idees polítiques.

Now, if you think that characterization is too strong,

I si penseu que és una afirmació massa agosarada,

just look at some of the government's own documents.

mireu alguns documents del govern mateix.

When some of McGowan's mail was rejected by the CMU, the sender was told

Quan la CMU va denegar algunes cartes d'en McGowan, li van dir a l'emissor

it's because the letters were intended "for political prisoners."

que era perquè les cartes eren "per a presos polítics".

When another prisoner, animal rights activist Andy Stepanian,

Un altre pres, l'activista pels drets dels animals Andy Stepanian,

was sent to a CMU, it was because of his anti-government and anti-corporate views.

va acabar a un CMU per les seves opinions antigovernamentals i anticorporatives.

Now, I know all of this may be hard to believe,

Sé que és difícil de creure

that it's happening right now, and in the United States.

que això passi avui als Estats Units.

But the unknown reality is that the US has a dark history

Però el que no se sap és que els EEUU tenen una història fosca

of disproportionately punishing people because of their political beliefs.

de castigar desproporcionadament les persones per les idees polítiques.

In the 1960s, before Marion was home to the CMU,

Als 60, abans que Marion acollís la CMU,

it was home to the notorious Control Unit.

hi tenia la infame Unitat de Control.

Prisoners were locked down in solitary for 22 hours a day.

Els presos estaven tancats en solitud 22 hores al dia.

The warden said the unit was to "control revolutionary attitudes."

Els guàrdies deien que la unitat era per "controlar actituds revolucionàries".

In the 1980s, another experiment called the Lexington High Security Unit

Als 80, un altre experiment anomenat Unitat d'Alta Seguretat de Lexington

held women connected to the Weather Underground,

era per a dones de grups radicals com Weather Underground,

Black Liberation and Puerto Rican independent struggles.

la Lliberació Negra o per la independència porto-riquenya.

The prison radically restricted communication and used sleep deprivation,

La presó restringia

fortament la comunicació i practicava la privació de son,

and constant light for so-called "ideological conversion."

amb els llums encesos constantment per l'anomenada "conversió ideològica".

Those prisons were eventually shut down, but only through the campaigning

Al final van tancar aquelles presons, però només per les campanyes

of religious groups and human rights advocates, like Amnesty International.

de grups religiosos i defensors dels drets humans, com Amnistia Internacional.

Today, civil rights lawyers with the Center for Constitutional Rights

Avui, advocats dels drets humans amb el Centre pels Drets Constitucionals

are challenging CMUs in court

lluiten als jutjats amb les CMU

for depriving prisoners of their due process rights

perquè neguen als presos el dret a un procés just

and for retaliating against them

i prenen represàlies contra ells

for their protected political and religious speech.

pel seu legítim discurs, polític o religiós.

Many of these documents would have never come to light without this lawsuit.

Sense aquest plet, molts d'aquests documents mai s'haurien fet públics.

The message of these groups and my message for you today

El missatge d'aquests grups i el meu per a vosaltres avui

is that we must bear witness to what is being done to these prisoners.

és que hem de ser testimonis del que es fa amb aquests presos.

Their treatment is a reflection of the values held beyond prison walls.

Com els tracten reflecteix els valors que hi ha fora dels murs de la presó.

This story is not just about prisoners.

Aquesta història no és només sobre els presos.

It is about us.

És sobre tots nosaltres.

It is about our own commitment to human rights.

Sobre el nostre compromís amb els drets humans.

It is about whether we will choose to stop repeating the mistakes of our past.

Sobre si escollirem parar de repetir els errors del passat.

If we don't listen to what Father Berrigan described as the stories of the dead,

Si no escoltem el que el Pare Berrigan anomenava les històries dels morts,

they will soon become the stories of ourselves.

aviat seran les nostres històries.

Thank you.

Gràcies.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiment)

(Applause ends)

(Finalitza l'aplaudiment)

Tom Rielly: I have a couple questions.

Tom Rielly: Tinc dues preguntes.

When I was in high school, I learned about the Bill of Rights,

Quan era a l'institut, apreníem sobre la Declaració dels Drets Humans,

the Constitution, freedom of speech,

la Constitució, la llibertat d'expressió,

due process and about 25 other laws and rights

el dret a un procés just i unes altres 25 lleis i drets

that seem to be violated by this.

que semblen violades per tot això.

How could this possibly be happening?

Com pot estar passant tot això?

Will Potter: I think that's the number one question I get

Will Potter: Crec que aquesta és la pregunta més freqüent

throughout all of my work,

que m'han fet durant la meva recerca,

and the short answer is that people don't know.

i la resposta curta és que la gent no ho sap.

I think the solution to any of these types of situations, any rights abuses,

Crec que la solució a qualsevol d'aquests problemes, a qualsevol violació de drets,

are really dependent on two things.

depèn bàsicament de dos factors.

They're dependent on knowledge that it's actually happening

Depèn de que se sàpiga què està passant

and then a means and efficacy to actually make a change.

i després que hi hagi recursos i eficàcia per canviar-ho.

And unfortunately with these prisoners,

I malauradament amb aquests presos,

one, people don't know what's happening at all

primer, la gent no sap res del que passa

and then they're already disenfranchised populations

i a més els presos ja són part d'una població sense drets

who don't have access to attorneys, not native English speakers.

que no té accés a advocats, ni parlen anglès.

In some of these cases, they have great representation that I mentioned,

A vegades, tenen bona representació, com he dit,

but there's just not a public awareness of what's happening.

però el públic no sap el que està passant.

TR: Isn't it guaranteed in prison that you have right to council

TR: Els presos no tenen dret a un advocat

or access to council?

o accés a un advocat?

WP: There's a tendency in our culture

WP: Normalment a la nostra cultura

to see when people have been convicted of a crime,

creiem que si una persona ha estat condemnada per un crim,

no matter if that charge was bogus or legitimate,

sense importar si el crim és veritat o no,

that whatever happens to them after that is warranted.

el que li passi després està justificat.

And I think that's a really damaging and dangerous narrative that we have,

I això crec que és molt perjudicial i perillós,

that allows these types of things to happen,

i permet que aquestes coses succeeixin,

as the general public just kind of turns a blind eye to it.

ja que la majoria del públic els hi gira l'esquena.

TR: All those documents on screen were all real documents, word for word,

TR: Tots els documents de la pantalla són reals, paraula per paraula,

unchanged at all, right?

sense canvis, no?

WP: Absolutely. I've actually uploaded all of them to my website.

WP: Completament. De fet els he pujat tots a la meva web.

It's willpotter.com/CMU and it's a footnoted version of the talk,

És willpotter.com/CMU i hi ha una versió anotada de la xerrada

so you can see the documents for yourself without the little snippets.

així podeu veure els documents sense les retallades.

You can see the full version.

Els podeu veure sencers.

I relied overwhelmingly on primary source documents

He utilitzat principalment documents originals

or on primary interviews with former and current prisoners,

o entrevistes meves a presos antics o actuals,

with people that are dealing with this situation every day.

a gent que continua patint aquesta situació.

And like I said, I've been there myself, as well.

I com he dit, jo també hi he estat allà.

TR: You're doing courageous work.

TR: El teu treball és molt valent.

WP: Thank you very much. Thank you all.

WP: Moltes gràcies, gràcies a tots.

(Applause)

(Aplaudiments)