UN: Guantanamo Bay should be closed
Friday, May 19, 2006
The United Nations Committee against Torture told the United States today that the US should close its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as well as disclose the existence of any secret prisons it operates.
The committee, made up of 10 independent experts has urged the Bush administration to put a stop to the use of torture or cruel treatment during the interrogation of terror suspects.
In an 11-page report, the committee said that the US should not detain anyone in a secret facility under its control. The committee also said that the US should disclose and investigate any such facilities. It is alleged that the US has a number of secret prisons where suspects are transported to and questioned using techniques that violate international human rights conventions.
Earlier this month, the US sent 30 officials to a torture committee hearing in Geneva. The delegation was criticized for failing to comment on questions relating to America's alleged secret prisons.
The committee ruled that there was evidence that US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan had violated the rights of some detainees. The committee said that some of the US' techniques had resulted in the deaths of prisoners during the interrogation process. The committee further claimed that "vague" guidelines had led to abuse of detainees.
According to the Associated Press, John B. Bellinger III, a State Department legal advisor and participant during the hearings at Geneva, said of the recommendation to close the base that, "one, seems to be beyond their mandate; two, legally wrong to say that the existence of Guantanamo is a per se violation of the convention; and, three, a not very practical recommendation given that they say that it ought to be closed but that individuals can't be sent back to a large number of countries."
President Bush said previously on ARD German television that he wants to close the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp. According to White House spokesman Tony Snow, the President is waiting for the US Supreme Court to decide on the issue of whether military tribunals or civilian courts would try the detainees.
Related news
[edit]- "UK Attorney General says Guantanamo should close" — Wikinews, May 10, 2006
Sources
[edit]- "US urged to close Guantanamo" — Reuters, May 19, 2006
- Simon Freeman. "UN tells America to end torture and close Guantanamo" — Times Online, May 19, 2006
- Reuters. "US urged to shut Guantanamo, "secret jails"" — Aftenposten, May 19, 2006
- Stephanie Nebehay. "UN body urges U.S. to shut Guantanamo" — SwissInfo, May 19, 2006
- Sam Cage, AP writer. "U.N. Says U.S. Should Close Gitmo Prison" — Houston Chronicle, May 19, 2006
External links
[edit]- CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 19 OF THE CONVENTION 19 May 2006 UN
 |
This page has been automatically archived by a robot, and is no longer publicly editable.
Got a correction? Add the template {{editprotected}} to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators. Please note that the listed sources may no longer be available online. |