Viet Nam Human Rights
UN expert says Guantanamo torture continuing
14/12/17
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| Guantanamo Prion |
The nightmare goes on.
The U.N.'s top expert on torture on Wednesday said reports
from sources indicated at least one inmate was still being tortured at the U.S. detention centre in Guantanamo Bay
and reiterated his request to visit.
Nils Melzer, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture, said
he had received information that torture using noise and vibrations was
continuing against one of the suspected 9/11 plotters being held at Guantanamo.
He accused Washington of
violating an international torture ban and also criticized the country for not
holding U.S.
officials accountable for using abusive practices in the past.
Melzer pointed out that a U.S. Senate Intelligence
Committee report published three years ago acknowledged the Central
Intelligence Agency's use of torture in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
"To this day, however, the perpetrators and
policymakers responsible for years of gruesome abuse have not been brought to
justice, and the victims have received no compensation or rehabilitation,"
he said in a statement.
"By failing to prosecute the crime of torture in CIA
custody, the U.S. is in
clear violation of the Convention against Torture," he said, warning that Washington was "sending a dangerous message of
complacency and impunity to officials in the U.S. and around the world."
Melzer voiced particular concern about detainees who had
been held for long periods of time in almost complete isolation.
He highlighted the case of Ammar al-Baluchi, the nephew of
alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who himself stands accused of
arranging the financing for the attacks that killed almost 3,000 people.
Torture ban
'absolute'
Al-Baluchi was named 153 times in the Senate report, and
is said to have suffered "relentless torture" at CIA "black
sites" for three and a half years before being moved to Guantanamo Bay,
where the torture is reported to continue, Wednesday's statement said.
"Mr. al-Baluchi has been held in isolation at a
severely restricted-access facility at Guantanamo Bay
for more than a decade," Melzer said.
"In addition to the long-term effects of past
torture, noise and vibrations are reportedly still being used against him,
resulting in constant sleep deprivation and related physical and mental
disorders," he said.
The U.N. expert alleged that al-Baluchi was not receiving
adequate medical attention for those disorders.
Melzer stressed that the international ban on torture and
ill-treatment was "absolute" and "one of the most fundamental
norms of international law."
"No circumstances, however exceptional and
well-argued, may be invoked to justify torture," he insisted.
He urged Washington
to "live up to its legacy, to end its policy of impunity and to bring its
own perpetrators to justice."
The U.N. expert also reiterated a long-standing request to
conduct an official visit to the Guantanamo
Bay detention centre and
to interview inmates.
"I very much regret that, despite repeated requests,
my predecessors and I have consistently been refused access to Guantanamo," he said.
Former U.S. President Barack Obama outlawed brutal
interrogation techniques like water boarding, used by the CIA following the
9/11 attacks. He also attempted throughout his presidency to shutter Guantanamo.
But his successor Donald Trump has said he wants to send
more "bad dudes" to Guantanamo
and spoke positively about torture during his election campaign.
He has however since said he will follow the advice of his
top aides, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who opposes the practice.
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All comments [ 4 ]
the U.S. is in "clear violation" of international law
the U.S. is in clear violation of the Convention against Torture
this prison violates the most basic principles governing any civilized nation, namely humanity, justice and the rule of law
By failing to prosecute the crime of torture in CIA custody, the U.S. is sending a dangerous message of complacency and impunity to officials in the U.S. and around the world
Your comments