WASHINGTON(AFP)-In a comprehensive report, UN Special Representative Fionnuala Ni Aolain has highlighted the continuing violations of basic rights and deplorable treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. The men, who were arrested as suspects after a 2001 al-Qaida attack, suffered a disturbing array of abuses, including forced solitary confinement and limited access to medical and mental health care.
During a press briefing, Nie Olin expressed serious concern about the limited contact of prisoners with their families, highlighting the inadequate provision of in-person visits and calls. It asserted that the cumulative effect of these practices, with various shortcomings, clearly amounted to a continuing form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law.
Ni Olin, serving as the United Nations Special Representative for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, led a team that was convened in February by UN rights experts. Traveled to Guantanamo Bay after unsuccessful attempts to gain access to the prison. Nie Aolein presented the team’s report, noting that the United States has yet to address the most blatant violations of prisoners’ rights.
They were secretly captured in the early 2000s and then transferred to Guantanamo Bay, known as extradition. Additionally, many detainees were subjected to mass torture by US operatives in the years following the 9/11 attacks.
Long military trials of prisoners have been stalled for years amid concerns about the possibility of fair trials in cases involving torture. Nye Aolein emphasized that the situation not only violates the rights of the detainees but also undermines the pursuit of justice for the victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Ni Olin praised the courage of the transparency, which allowed the Biden administration to investigate the team’s visit to Guantanamo Bay and the treatment of detainees. But he stressed that closing the prisons, which are outside the jurisdiction of the US justice system, must be a top priority. They called on the US government to accept responsibility for all violations of international law, including amnesty, full reparations and reparations for all victims, including current and former detainees and victims of terrorism.
In response to the report, Michelle Taylor, the US Special Envoy to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said that while the US does not accept all of NEA’s assessment, US support for safe and humane treatment of detainees is a There is great concern. He said that his efforts will not change.
The findings of the UN Special Rapporteur’s report highlight the urgent need for accountability and reform in the Guantanamo Bay prison system. Urgent action must be taken to ensure the protection of the rights of detainees and to meet the demands of justice and deterrence for both the detainees themselves and the victims of terrorism.
