US: Biden urged to close Guantánamo Bay on 21st anniversary of camp’s opening

US: Biden urged to close Guantánamo Bay on 21st anniversary of camp's opening

President Joe Biden has been urged to make good on promises to close the Guantánamo Bay detention camp as human rights campaigners mark the 21st anniversary of its opening.

There are currently 35 prisoners in the military facility, which was established at the height of the War on Terror to house suspected enemy combatants outside of US legal jurisdiction.

President Biden has previously said he aims to close the prison. He announced a review in February 2021, which has not reported back.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty International’s Americas director, said: “It’s tragic that 21 years after the opening of an offshore detention facility specifically designed to evade the rule of law, the US government continues to detain 35 men at the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. 

“Most have never even been charged with a crime. None has had a fair trial. Many of the detainees were tortured.

“The military commissions created to try some of the detainees have proven ineffectual and unfair, denying defendants an impartial arbiter and access to critical evidence. This has also denied victims of the 9/11 attacks their right to justice.”

She added: “President Biden must finally right this wrong. His administration must transfer all remaining detainees who have not been charged with crimes to countries where they will be safe and their human rights will be respected. 

“In those cases where there is sufficient admissible evidence under international law to prosecute internationally-recognisable criminal offences, this must be done through fair judicial resolution, without recourse to the death penalty.

“Guantánamo remains an indelible stain on the United States’ history. More than two decades after its opening, President Biden must finally close this chapter and ensure it is never repeated.”

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