AHEAD OF THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY (11 January 2022) of the opening of the now infamous military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Daphne Eviatar, Amnesty International USA’s Security with Human Rights Programme Director, said:“This is an anniversary that should never have been reached.”
She continued: “Since the Bush administration, there has been agreement among national security experts and across the political spectrum that the Guantánamo prison – a notorious site of torture and unjustifiable indefinite detention – should be closed.
“President Biden must uphold his commitment to close Guantánamo once and for all. The longer the prison remains in use, the longer it continues to undermine US credibility globally on human rights.”
Twenty years after its establishment at an offshore military base in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks, Guantánamo still holds 39 detainees – none of whom have received a fair trial. They continue to be detained indefinitely in violation of due process of law and other internationally-recognised human rights. Instead of trials, the Guantánamo “military commissions” have failed to bring justice to the victims and survivors of the 9/11 attacks, while denying due process to the accused.
Amnesty International and other groups staged a protest in London on Saturday 8 January, ahead of the Guantánamo anniversary date. The event was organised by the UK Guantanamo Network (including Amnesty), Freedom from Torture, the Guantanamo Justice Campaign and the London Guantanamo Campaign.
* Source: Amnesty International