UN: Guantanamo a 'Clear Breach of International Law'

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/04/05-5



UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said prison should immediately close, detainees' rights must be upheld

UN: Guantanamo a 'Clear Breach of International Law'
- Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Published on Friday, April 5, 2013 by Common Dreams

The failure of the U.S. to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility is a "clear breach of international law," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay stated Friday, and slammed the "continuing indefinite incarceration" of detainees and the "systemic abuse of individuals’ human rights" there.

“Allegedly, around half of the 166 detainees still being held in detention have been cleared for transfer to either home countries or third countries for resettlement. Yet they remain in detention at Guantánamo Bay," she said.

This represents "the most flagrant breach of individual rights," according to Pillay.

"Others reportedly have been designated for further indefinite detention. Some of them have been festering in this detention center for more than a decade. This raises serious concerns under international law. It severely undermines the United States’ stance that it is an upholder of human rights, and weakens its position when addressing human rights violations elsewhere.”