WCC central committee requests legal rights for Guantanamo detainees

[struggle4progress]

The World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee urged the government of the United States "to immediately grant the legal rights accorded to detainees" to "over 600 foreign nationals, mostly Muslims" held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base "without due process and in total violation of the norms and standards of international humanitarian and human rights law".

In a statement approved one day before the end of its 15-22 February meeting in Geneva, the committee also appealed "to the US Government to let the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA (NCCC-USA) fulfil its pastoral and humanitarian responsibilities to the detainees by giving it permission to visit them at Guantanamo Bay". <snip>

http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasessp.nsf/index/pr-cc-05-09.html


Detainees held at Guantanamo Bay

... The Central Committee is .. deeply concerned by the continued unconscionable and illegal detention .. at .. Guantanamo Bay ... The detainees have been held without due process and in .. violation of .. international humanitarian and human rights law ...

We are .. encouraged .. the NCCC-USA .. has joined voices with other human rights, legal and religious non-governmental organizations in an amicus curiae brief filed in the US Supreme Court. The NCCC-USA’s request to visit the detainees .. on a pastoral and humanitarian basis was denied ... The NCCC-USA remains committed to .. struggle for justice and rule of law and continues to monitor the situation ...

The Central Committee meeting in Geneva, February 15-22, 2005:

Urges the US Government to immediately grant legal rights accorded to detainees ..;

Appeals to the US Government to let NCCC-USA .. visit them at Guantanamo Bay;

And calls on the churches to:

Appreciate and encourage the .. work being done by the NCCC-USA in its endeavours to struggle for the rule of law and secure due process for those detained at Guantanamo Bay;

Educate and conscientise their congregations to the situation of those presently under detention in Guantanamo Bay and to fulfil their responsibility as a community of faith in Christ by calling for the release of those being held in detention under inhuman conditions; <snip>

http://www.oikoumene.org/GEN_PUB_5_Second_report_o.779.0.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Good for them!

I have read on DU where some think that liberal believers aren't doing anything to stop Bush. This action shows how false this is. Only thing that surprises me is that it was covered by the media.