Human Rights Organization Wants Urgent Executive Order Banning Torture, Independent Commission to Investigate Abuses
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the first transfers to the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Amnesty International is calling on President-elect Barack Obama to announce a date for its closure promptly after taking office -- and make a reality of his commitment to end the human rights violations that have been the hallmark of the U.S. government's counterterror policies and practices over the last seven years.
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The human rights organization also called on President-elect Obama to support an independent commission of inquiry into human rights violations committed as part of the war on terror by or on behalf of the United States, in order to ensure accountability and signal a fundamental shift in U.S. counterterrorism policies.
"We are not asking the impossible. Barack Obama has already stated his determination to undo some of the wrongs authorized by the U.S. government in the name of national security, and we are asking him to turn this commitment into a reality," said Irene Khan, Amnesty International's Secretary General.
"Giving priority to closing Guantanamo is an important first step," said Larry Cox, Amnesty International USA executive director. "However, just as crucial is how the detention center will be closed. Any closure must comply with the United States' obligations under domestic and international law. The nation cannot move forward and end a horrible chapter in its history if Guantanamo closes and a veritable 'Guantanamo 2.0' opens elsewhere. Not only does the facility itself need to be shut down, but more importantly, the illegal practices need to end - any and everywhere."
Recently, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates asked his staff to draw up plans for the closure of Guantanamo, which he expects to be a high priority for the new administration. This needs to include a comprehensive plan for the future of the detainees. Any plan to close Guantanamo must also include the immediate abandoning of trials by military commissions; any subsequent trials should be conducted in ordinary civilian courts.
Other countries should facilitate the closure of the Guantanamo detention center by offering humanitarian protection to detainees who are cleared for release but cannot be returned to their own countries for fear that they would suffer torture or persecution there. A number of European Union (E.U.) states, including Germany and Portugal, have voiced support for the idea of accepting detainees, and the European Union is discussing the adoption of a common approach.
"Guantanamo has been part of a detention strategy under which the United States has conducted a systematic seven-year assault on basic human rights - such as the right to a fair trial and to humane treatment - in the name of counterterrorism," said Khan. "It is time for a new approach from the United States, but other countries also have a crucial part to play in helping to close down this detention center."
During his first 100 days in office, Amnesty International is calling on President-elect Obama to undertake concrete human rights reforms, including to announce details of the plan for the closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay; to issue an executive order banning torture and other ill-treatment; and to ensure an independent commission is created to investigate abuses committed by the U.S. government in its war on terror.
Approximately 250 people are currently held in Guantanamo. Some have been detained there for more than six years.
Amnesty International was one of the first organizations to call for the closure of Guantanamo. On Jan. 11, activists, supporters and members of Amnesty International in more than 35 countries will again urge that the United States changes course on its detention policies in the context of counterterrorism.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org/100days or contact lspann@aiusa.org.
SOURCE Amnesty International
