Posted on 09/21/2006 1:21:16 PM PDT by SmithL
GENEVA -- U.N. human rights investigators criticized the United States on Thursday for failing to take steps to close the Guantanamo Bay military prison for terror suspects, which they say facilitates torture and violates international law.
In the first U.N.-sanctioned inquiry into U.S. practices at Guantanamo, the rights experts also criticized the Bush administration for a proposed law they said might permit torture in certain circumstances.
The experts presented their report on Guantanamo and its 450 detainees to the 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council, a summary of which was released earlier this year.
"We note with the greatest concern that the government has not taken any steps to close Guantanamo," the rights experts said in a joint statement read by Algerian Leila Zerrougui, a specialist on arbitrary detention. "Indeed, a new block has been built and is set to open this month."
The United States responded by saying it would like to one day close Guantanamo, but first needs to find alternative means of protection from suspected terrorists. It criticized the allegations as poorly founded and said detainees are treated humanely.
The experts criticized President Bush's proposal on a new law regarding how to treat dangerous terrorism subjects, saying it failed to uphold the absolute prohibition on torture and "might permit abuses depending on the circumstances."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
And Gitmo experts say the UN should be closed. Pffft
I found a factual error in the first two words of the headline.
You stole my thunder.
LOL!
Bite me.
"Bite me."
Funny, coming from a dentist.
Gitmo is the ONLY humane prison on the island, which in and of itself is a prison.
I find it hard to believe that anyone out there listens to the UN anymore.
But after Ahmadinejad's and Chavez's speeches yesterday, I see that there are many who live and die on what the UN says.
Maybe it's time we ask the UN to relocate their headquarters elsewhere and reduce our involvement in that addled group.
When the U.N. closes for its role in the Oil for Food scandal, their inaction for the rape of young African girls by their blue-helmeted thugs, their support for dictators and their overall ineffectiveness, then they can pontificate on what the U.S. should do.
I actually preferred the original League of Nations to the sequel...
True. So true.
technically, three words ...
Actually, they are experts - in bashing the US and extracting/extorting money from us.
An "ex" is a has-been, and a "spurt" is a drip under pressure. Trust me, they've got plenty.
The UN? FM!
These same "human rights investigators" are withholding all judgements and comments about the situation in Darfur for fear of offending non-Americans.
stUNtfu
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.