UN's Pillay: Guantanamo prison a 'clear breach of international law'

2012-01-24 15:40:36 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) human rights chief on Monday criticized the failure of the United States government to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and to ensure accountability for serious human rights violations which took place there.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay spoke out against the U.S. government on its failure to close Guantanamo. The prison was opened in 2012 and it remains open despite President Barack Obama ordering its closure within 12 months on January 22, 2009.

"The facility continues to exist and individuals remain arbitrarily detained - indefinitely - in clear breach of international law," Pillay stated, expressing disappointment that instead of closing the facility, the U.S. Government has 'entrenched' a system of arbitrary detention with the new National Defense Authorization Act.

The act was signed into law late last month and includes a controversial component that allows the U.S. military to indefinitely detain terror suspects, including American citizens arrested in the United States, without charge. The piece of legislation drew severe criticism from human rights organizations.

"This piece of legislation contravenes some of the most fundamental tenets of justice and human rights, namely the right to a fair trial and the right not to be arbitrarily detained," said Pillay. "Nobody should ever be held for years on end without being tried and convicted, or released," she stressed.

Pillay reminded the U.S. Government that just as States have the right and duty to protect their people and territory from terrorist acts, it also has the obligation under international human rights law to ensure that individuals deprived of their liberty can have the lawfulness of their detention reviewed before a court.

"Where credible evidence exists against Guantanamo detainees, they should be charged and prosecuted. Otherwise, they must be released," Pillay underlined. She urged the Government, so long as Guantanamo remains open, to ensure that conditions of detention comply fully with human rights standards under international law.

The UN human rights chief also urged that individuals found to have perpetrated, ordered, tolerated or condoned torture and ill-treatment at the prison should be brought to justice. She also voiced her concern over the government's failure to allow independent human rights monitoring of the detention conditions at Guantanamo.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-01-24

Well even though it is 10 years too late, it is a welcome statement at least from the UN.