[Ppnews] Guantanamo conditions 'worsening'

[Political Prisoner News]

From: Kiilu Nyasha <kiilu2 at sbcglobal.net>



Just a reminder that while the Guantanamo 
prisoners are suffering inhumane, tortuous 
conditions in facilities "comparable to 
'super-max' high security units in the U.S.," our 
political prisoners, such as Hugo "Yogi" Pinell, 
have suffered these same horrendous tortures of 
sensory deprivation, solitary confinement, and 
such for much longer than five years.  Yogi has 
survived 43 years of U.S. gulags, 17 in Pelican 
Bay's SHU, the worst super-max prison in the 
country -- confined at least 23 hours a day in a 
windowless cell, no natural light at all, no 
phone calls, no-contact limited visits, hundreds 
of miles from home, denied parole every time he 
goes to board despite 25 years of clean 
time.  (<http://www.hugopinell.org>www.hugopinell.org)

[]


Guantanamo conditions 'worsening'

Conditions for detainees at the US military jail 
at Guantanamo Bay are deteriorating, with the 
majority held in solitary confinement, a report says.

Amnesty International said the often harsh and 
inhumane conditions at the camp were "pushing 
people to the edge". It called for the facility 
to be closed and for plans for "unfair" military 
commission trials to be abandoned.
Many of the 385 inmates have been held for five 
years or more, unable to mount a legal challenge 
to their detention. "While the United States has 
an obligation to protect its citizens... that 
does not relieve the United States from its 
responsibilities to comply with human rights," the report said.


Some [inmates] are dangerously close to 
full-blown mental and physical breakdown
UK director Kate Allen Amnesty International

"Statements by the Bush administration that these 
men are 'enemy combatants,' 'terrorists' or 'very 
bad people' do not justify the complete lack of 
due process rights," the group said.

Amnesty reiterated its call for detainees at the 
prison camp in Cuba - many of whom are suspected 
Taleban and al-Qaeda fighters - to be released or charged and sent to trial.

'Already in despair'

The report, published on Thursday, said about 300 
detainees are now being held at a new facility - 
known as Camp 5, Camp 6 and Camp Echo - 
comparable to "super-max" high security units in the US.


The group said the facility had "created even 
harsher and apparently more permanent conditions 
of extreme isolation and sensory deprivation".

It said the detainees were reportedly confined to 
windowless cells for 22 hours a day, only allowed 
to exercise at night and could go for days without seeing daylight.

The organisation's UK director, Kate Allen, 
described the process at Guantanamo as "a travesty of justice".
"With many prisoners already in despair at being 
held in indefinite detention... some are 
dangerously close to full-blown mental and physical breakdown.

"The US authorities should immediately stop 
pushing people to the edge with extreme isolation 
techniques and allow proper access for 
independent medical experts and human rights groups."

'Serving justice'

The provision that stripped detainees of their 
right to mount a legal challenge to their 
confinement was upheld by a US federal appeals court in Washington in February.

Pushing the anti-terror legislation through 
Congress last year, Mr Bush said he needed the 
new law to bring terror suspects to justice.

It allows for the indefinite detention of people as "enemy combatants".

The US has said it plans to use the military 
tribunal system to prosecute about 80 of 385 prisoners remaining at the camp.

Story from BBC NEWS:
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6526589.stm>http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/6526589.stm

Published: 2007/04/04 23:10:08 GMT

© BBC MMVII



The Freedom Archives
522 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 863-9977
www.freedomarchives.org 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20070405/a02d1d60/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 430f399.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 1123 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://freedomarchives.org/pipermail/ppnews_freedomarchives.org/attachments/20070405/a02d1d60/attachment.gif>