“A United Nations inquiry has called for the immediate closure of America’s Guantanamo Bay detention centre and the prosecution of officers and politicians “up to the highest level” who are accused of torturing detainees.The UN Human Rights Commission report, due to be published this week, concludes that Washington should put the 520 detainees on trial or release them.
It calls for the United States to halt all “practices amounting to torture”, including the force-feeding of inmates who go on hunger strike.
The report wants the Bush administration to ensure that all allegations of torture are investigated by US criminal courts, and that “all perpetrators up to the highest level of military and political command are brought to justice”. [Read more]
UPDATE (2.16.06): “The report was based on interviews with former detainees, lawyers, public documents, media reports and a questionnaire filled out by the U.S. government. It found that interrogation techniques authorized by the Department of Defense, “particularly if used simultaneously, amount to degrading treatment in violation of … the Convention against Torture.” CNN