After 13 years in Guantánamo without charge or trial, and thousands of miles away from his family, Shaker Aamer was finally released and returned to his family in the UK in October 2015. Guantanamo exists as one of the most visible and symbolic sites of institutionalized Islamophobia.” Amnesty International released a new report Jan. 11, that highlighted historic and continuing human rights violations at Guantánamo Bay. Detainees are often placed in extremely cold rooms with loud music, forced to kneel for long periods at a time, stripped … A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (01735872). Registered office 17-25 New Inn Yard London EC2A 3EA. The United States exercises jurisdiction … See last year’s protest here. Are you an Educator? The new report of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights calls once again on the United States of America to close the detention center at the U.S. Since the first detainees arrived in Guantanamo their legal status and humanitarian rights have only enriched the scholarly debate.There are two simultaneous ongoing debates concerning the rights of the… Human rights experts from the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) today called on the United States Government to promptly close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility and end impunity for abuses in the so-called ‘global war on terror’ such as ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ and extraordinary rendition. Amnesty International has released a new report highlighting ongoing and historic human rights violations at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, as detentions there enter their 20th year and as a new President prepares to enter the White House. The Biden Administration has recently launched a formal review of Guantánamo Bay with a view to closing the facility before he leaves office. Guantanamo considers torture of prisoners under international law.The detention camp holds prisoners who are not charged with a crime for years at a time. The present political environment has left deep scars in international and human rights law. Use our National Security in Human Rights Toolkit in your classroom. Transfers out of the facility have stalled, and even those cleared for release have remained incarcerated for years on end. Guantánamo Bay military prison is a site of egregious and ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the United States government. From Gitmo’s inception more than a decade ago, we’ve been out front making the case that the prison is a grave threat to both human rights and U.S. national security. Guantánamo Bay is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. Human rights experts from the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) today called on the United States Government to promptly close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility and end impunity for abuses in the so-called ‘global war on terror’ such as ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ and extraordinary rendition. We mobilize grassroots activists to push for federal policies that protect safety and human rights together. An Amnesty International report published in 2011 titled “Guantanamo: A Decade of Damage to Human Rights” encapsulates the key concerns of the majority of the international legal community. Guantánamo Bay has now been running for longer on President Obama’s watch than that of his predecessor, George Bush. However, human rights are being violated by countries all over the world, even by countries such as the … The international outcry has led to many gaining their freedom. We mobilize grassroots activists to push for federal policies that protect safety and human rights together. Lets first take a look at the lawfulness of the existence of Guantanamo bay under two fundamental human rights laws. Crimes under international law such as torture and enforced disappearance were committed against detainees deliberately held out of reach of judicial scrutiny at secret facilities operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in other countries or in Guantánamo. Shaker Aamer told his lawyer about dozens of 'Code Yellow' incidents, in which imates collapse or pass out. Human Rights Watch Time is running out fast for Obama and his administration to meet their human rights obligations on these issues. Join the annual protest in front of the White House on the anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The report documents a catalogue of human rights violations perpetrated against those detained at the camp, where victims of torture are held with inadequate medical care indefinitely and in the absence of fair trials. Privacy Policy There are currently 107 detainees held in the US detention center in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. He was detained in Afghanistan in November 2001 where, according to his account, he was working for a Saudi charity. The detention of some 660 individuals in Guantanamo Bay has caused academic and diplomatic disputes. See more. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, March 22, 2016.© 2016 Reuters Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. The opening of Guantánamo as a US detention center in January 2002 and it’s continuing existence has spiked a growing body of literature and cultural production. At one time over 100 detainees were on hunger strike. This is about more than just the 40 people still held at Guantánamo – it is also about the crimes under international law committed over the past 19 years and the continuing lack of accountability for them, Council of Europe takes decisive action to combat torture tools trade, Belarus: Older people impacted by state repression, USA: Right the Wrong: Decision time on Guantanamo (Report, 11 January 2021), Thailand: NGO law would strike ‘severe blow’ to human rights, Viet Nam: Fresh crackdown as National Assembly election looms, Côte d’Ivoire: ICC confirmation of Gbagbo and Blé Goudé acquittal another disappointment for victims of post-election violence. It is clear to the international community that there were, and continue to be, violations of human rights norms at Guantánamo Bay, but there has been little success in provoking change because of the lack of enforcement mechanisms in international human rights law. The United States assumed territorial control over the southern portion of Guantánamo Bay under the 1903 Lease agreement. While governments should of course protect citizens from the threat of terrorism, this threat should never be used to justify the violation of human rights or to repress legitimate opposition and dissent.   |   779 men have been taken to the facility since then. The proceedings did not meet fair trial standards. Human rights groups relentlessly fight against Guantánamo, as they believe that the camp’s very existence is an immoral atrocity. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reminds us of each individual’s rights to freedom from torture – and a right to free speech, life and liberty. Sami al-Hajj, a cameraman with Al Jazeera television, detained at Guantánamo for six years, pre-trial agreements under which they pleaded guilty, urgent need for an independent, judge-led inquiry into UK involvement, Guantánamo 14th anniversary: a reminder of the need for Shaker Aamer torture in…, Close Guantánamo vigil at US Embassy - 11 January. Human Rights First "Human Rights First calls for the closure of the prison at Guantanamo as a necessary first step to bring U.S. policy back under the rule of law and to restore the capacity of the United States to lead the world in the protection of human rights and the preservation of human dignity." Read more. Towards the Closure of Guantanamo. Dozens of Guantánamo inmates have resorted to hunger strikes in protest at their conditions and continuing detention. Shaker Aamer was one of the first detainees to arrive at Guantánamo Bay in 2002. Amnesty International UK Section Charitable Trust. These men faced trial by 'military commission'. Guantanamo makes diplomacy more difficult and diminishes American influence on human rights issues: According to the White House, the existence of the Guantanamo detention facility “plagues our bilateral and multilateral relationships, creates friction with governments whose nationals we detain, [and] provides cover for regimes whose detention practices we oppose.” The facilities at Guantánamo have become emblematic of the gross human rights abuses perpetrated by the US government in the name of terrorism. Detentions at Guantánamo began out of the decision to frame the U.S.’s response to the 9/11 attacks as a “global war on terror,” bypassing human rights protections in the pursuit of intelligence gathering. In the wake of terrorist attacks in the USA on 11 September 2001, the administration – headed by President George Bush – declared a ‘war on terror’. Cookie Statement Over 100 national and local human rights organizations called on President Joe Biden Tuesday to close the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention facility once and for all. Guantánamo Bay acts as an alternate reality for the United States as a place where the law is lose and sympathy is scarce. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. Guantánamo Bay military prison is a site of egregious and ongoing human rights violations perpetrated by the United States government. Guantanamo Bay is unconstitutional Because it violates human rights, alleges illegal detention, and the torturous treatment of prisoners. Guantanamo Bay (2003) - America has been accused of gross human rights violations for its policies at Guantanamo Bay. The report calls for renewed urgency on this issue, accompanied by a genuine commitment to truth, accountability and remedy, as well as a recognition that indefinite detention at  Guantánamo must not be allowed to persist any longer. Human Rights Watch | 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor | New York, NY 10118-3299 USA | t 1.212.290.4700 Refunds of donations. “This is about more than just the 40 people still held at Guantánamo – it is also about the crimes under international law committed over the past 19 years and the continuing lack of accountability for them. It doesn’t belong in a democracy that is ruled by law. Opened in early 2002 on a U.S. naval base in Cuba, the prison has housed 780 adults and minors from around the world—all Muslim—most of whom have been subjected to torture and severe abuse at the hands of the U.S. armed forces and the CIA. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference in 2009, Vice President, now President-elect, Joe Biden told his audience: “We will uphold the rights of those who we bring to justice. Guantanamo is the name of a terrifying prison located at Guantanamo Bay in southeastern Cuba which belongs to the US Navy. And we will close the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.” He emphasized that the “treaties and international organizations we build must be credible and they must be effective.” A dozen years later, as he prepares to become President, he has an opportunity to live up to those words. He should seize it. Language Games and the Denial of Human Rights in Guantanamo Bay and the Right to Protest in England, 2021 Today, it continues to hold 40 Muslim men, most without charge, and none having received a fair trial. Guantanamo Bay: As it enters its twentieth year of operations and as a new president is about to take office in the White House “I appeal to President Biden to close Guantanamo Bay. Considering that it is in Cuba, the U.S. government is able to hold detainees without consideration of habeas corpus: the right to a fair trial, as neither US nor international law … This report addresses the human rights situation of detainees held at the U.S. There is a serious legal debate as to the legality of the detention. President Trump wants to keep using it, but we’ll keep pushing until we succeed. Amnesty International United Kingdom Section. I will never forget their help’Sami al-Hajj, a cameraman with Al Jazeera television, detained at Guantánamo for six years. Seven years on, the notorious detention centre remains open. Of these, only seven have been convicted, including five as a result of pre-trial agreements under which they pleaded guilty in return for the possibility of release from the base. 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