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Human Rights Organizations demand the closing of Guantanamo and to declare the 11th January an International Day Against Torture and Indefinite Detention
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11/1/2007
The 11th of January 2007 marks the fifth anniversary of the first prisoners to arrive at the American detainment camp of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Out of 775 prisoners who have been detained in inhumane conditions at Guantanamo, none has ever been formally charged with any crime. The interrogation techniques applied to them are according to the International Committee of the Red Cross called "tantamount to torture".
Despite the continuous calls made by the international community to shut down the Guantanamo facility, approximately 400 prisoners are still being held there till now. Among these prisoners there are three Egyptians, Sherif El Mashad, Alaa Selim and Adel El Gazar.
The situation at Guantanamo would impact different regions of the world as it threatens to set a dreadful precedent for a large number of states that would be encouraged to legalize the erosion of human, civil and political rights in the name of combating terrorism. The international community should play a fundamental role in condemning indefinite detention at Guantanamo and any where else, and to demand the shut down of the detention center and to release all detainees.
What the US does to the detainees of Guantanamo is considered a vehement violation to international humanitarian law, especially presenting detainees to exceptional courts without any legal guarantees as stipulated in Article 105 of the 3rd Geneva Convention and Article 5 of the 4th Geneva Convention.
Accordingly, the undersigned organizations demand from the United States Government the following:
1- Shut down the Guantanamo detainment camp and all similar facilities including secret CIA detention facilities.
2- Provide lawyers and legal aid to the detainees and to inform them of their charges immediately. Also they should be presented to courts enjoying the basic standards of fair trial and human rights. In case the US Government failed to provide these, all detainees should be released immediately and to close Guantanamo and all other facilities that are related to what so called " war on terrorism", and to completely abide by the international law.
3- The United States should also provide protection to the released detainees who may not be able to go back to their home countries where they might suffer human rights violations.
4- The undersigned organizations also demand the establishment of an independent investigation committee to investigate all the issues related to the United States policies and practices concerning detention and interrogation in the course of "War on Terrorism", including illegal transporting of prisoners, secret detainment camps, torturing detainees and subjecting them to inhumane treatment.
5- The United States Government should also pay compensations and reparations to the former and current detainees and their families for what they have suffered of human rights violations.
6- And finally, to mark the 11th of January an international Day against torture and indefinite detention.
Signed by:
- The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights
- Cairo Center for Human Rights Studies
- Sawasia Center for Human Rights and Counter Discrimination
- The Association for Human Rights Legal Aid
- The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
- The Human Rights Association for Prisoners Aid
- Land Center for Human Rights
- Hisham Mubarak Law Center
- The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights
- The Arab Center for Independence of Judges and Lawyers.
- The Arab Program for Human Rights Activists
- Shomoa Association for Human Rights and Special Needs Care
- The Group of Democracy Development
- The Egyptian Foundation for Training and Human Rights
- The Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development
- Kalima Center for Human Rights
- The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement
- Maat Center for Juridical and Constitutional Studies
- Andalus Center for Tolerance and Counter Discrimination Studies
- The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
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