Amnesty International Responds to Pentagon's Report Claiming Gitmo Meets Geneva Standards

[bigtree]

WASHINGTON - February 20 - Amnesty International advocacy director for Terrorism, Counterterrorism and Human Rights Tom Parker released the following statement in response to news that the Pentagon's report to President Obama on conditions at Guantanamo states that the prison meets standards outlined by the Geneva Conventions:

"It comes as no surprise that the Pentagon would say Guantanamo meets international human rights standards.

"However, there have been many well-documented accounts of abuse at Guantanamo over the past few years. When over two hundred prisoners continue to be held without charge or trial--many for more than six years, with scores in isolation and concerns about dozens on hunger strike--it's clear the abuse of prisoners continues.

"Human rights organizations are still being denied access to the facility and the detainees. But even without the ability to conduct a proper independent review, enough is known to cast doubt on the accuracy of the Pentagon's report."


http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/02/20-10

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. If things are ok there, the Red Cross and Amnesty

and any other human rights group should be allowed to go there. But of course things aren't right--these people have been held without trial, which is a violation of their basic human rights in my book.

[gratuitous]

2. What else would the Pentagon say?

I'm sure if you asked Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy or Tim McVeigh, not a one of them would admit that they had done anything untoward. And all those dead bodies? Shrug. Just something that happened.

Why are we letting the perpetrators of the crime determine whether an atrocity has been committed?

[Supersedeas]

3. apparently this is in the more news you can't use category for Big Media

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

4. I'm so relieved the Pentagon is investigating itself. They are such known purveyers of the truth.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[bdamomma]

5. what total BS, meets standards huh?

they will do anything just to keep on torturing people, where is that cheney anyway? this smells of him.

[pnutbutr]

6. it would be more helpful

if they were to provide info on which articles of the Geneva Convention that it violates. With that info, Amnesty could gather much more support.

[bigtree]

7. Amnesty reports

USA: Counter Terror with Justice: A checklist for the next US President (5 November 2008)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/117/2008/en

USA: Illegal US detentions Focus Sheet: Guantánamo Symbol of Wider Injustice (Information sheet, January 2008)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/005/2008/en

USA: International Protection for Guantánamo’s Victims (Information sheet, 1 September 2008)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/095/2008/en

USA: Cruel and Inhuman: Conditions of isolation for detainees at Guantánamo Bay (Report, 5 April 2005)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/051/2007/en

USA: Guantánamo: Lives torn apart: The impact of indefinite detention on detainees and their families (Report, 6 February 2006)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/007/2006/en

USA: Guantanamo - an icon of lawlessness (Report, 6 January 2005)
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR51/002/2005/en

Read the key documents on illegal US detention and other documents on Guantánamo
http://www.amnesty.org/en/campaigns/counter-terror-with-justice/activist-toolkit/key-documents

[pnutbutr]

8. That's cool and all but

doesn't list the specific parts of the convention that are being violated. You can say look, look at what they are doing to these people in violation of international law. That means shit to many people until the actual law that is being violated is referenced and made available. Doesn't sound like a very difficult thing to do that would IMO help the cause significantly.

[bigtree]

10. they break these issues down into those catagories in individual reports

It may take some searching, but it's not hard to find Amnesty's highlighting of Geneva articles.

http://www.amnesty.org/en/ai_search?keywords=geneva+convention+guantanamo&op=Search&form_id=search_theme_form&form_token=b116646714128a39bea715536348ee59

here's a key one with specifics:

Document - USA: Memorandum to the US Government on the report of the UN Committee Against Torture and the question of closing Guantánamo
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR51/093/2006/en/dom-AMR510932006en.html

here's a more recent page:
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=10226

[AtomicKitten]

9. I think the key word is "now." Obama has put a period at the end of the sentence.

I was just commenting to a friend yesterday about the crawler on CNN that first stated the WH said actions at Guantanamo were legal. Within a couple hours that was corrected with that ubiquitous "now" as in activities at Guantanamo are NOW legal, putting some daylight between the past and current administrations.

I don't think Obama has decided whether or not to prosecute BushCo, but if he doesn't somebody else in the world body will and that would be an embarrassment to the U.S. I'm hoping AI and other human rights organizations crawl so far up Obama's butt that he does the right thing.

[bushmeister0]

11. Binyam Mohamed beatings 'recent.'

The Guardian:

"Mohamed was found to be suffering from bruising, organ damage, stomach complaints, malnutrition, sores to feet and hands, severe damage to ligaments as well as profound emotional and psychological problems which have been exacerbated by the refusal of Guantánamo's guards to give him counselling.

Mohamed's British lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, said his client had been beaten 'dozens' of times inside the notorious US camp in Cuba with the most recent abuse occurring during recent weeks.

Lieutenant colonel Yvonne Bradley, Mohamed's US military attorney, added: 'He has been severely beaten. Sometimes I don't like to think about it because my country is behind all this.'"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/22/binyam-mohamed-injuries

And there are the forced feedings of the hunger strikers still going on, which are a violation of international law.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bushmeister0/74

I know OHB is busy with a lot of stuff, but he'd better hurry up and figure out what his policies are going to be on the issue of Gitmo, Baghram (still upholding BushCo policy on denying prisoners their day in court there) and the rest of the places we're holding people. It's bad enough detainees are still being beaten and tied down to chairs, having hoses stuck down their noses, but if anyone were to die during this policy review process, then Obama would definitely being buying Bush's shame.

[AtomicKitten]

12. That's unacceptable and demands daylight.

Rachel Maddow featured a Guantanamo prison guard on her show last week who dished on the activities there. She mentioned a website Guantanamo Truth where guards are coming forward. This must not get lost in the cracks.

I agree Obama needs to truly extricate himself from Junior's shame or it will become his.

Thanks for posting this. K&R