Status: 08.01.2022 5:56 p.m.
The human rights organization Amnesty International has called for the US prison camp in Guantánamo to be closed. In principle, President Biden wants that too, but his efforts are not making any headway.
Amnesty International has asked US President Joe Biden to close the Guantánamo detention center. The US expert of the human rights organization, Sumit Bhattacharyya, told the dpa news agency that the camp was a synonym for arbitrariness, injustice and torture. “The Guantánamo system cannot be repaired.” The camp must be closed and people involved in torture or other illegal activities must be brought to justice to answer for their actions.
Protests against Guantánamo
Amnesty has planned actions in several countries to mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the camp. According to the organization, there were protests in Germany on Saturday in Berlin, Bremen, Leipzig, Dresden, Chemnitz and Halle.
The first prisoners were brought to the camp at the US naval base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba on January 11, 2002. Amnesty accuses the US of having “continuously and systematically” violated human rights there. 39 prisoners are currently held there. According to Amnesty, they should get “a fair trial under the rule of law in civil courts”. If no evidence of crimes can be produced, they would have to be released.
Camp set up after the attacks of September 11, 2001
In total, almost 800 people were temporarily detained in Guantánamo. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Republican President George W. Bush had the army base expanded into an internment camp in order to detain suspected Islamist terrorists without trial. Bush’s successor, Democrat Barack Obama, wanted to close it, but failed due to opposition in the US Congress. The Republican Donald Trump, in turn, wanted to keep the camp open.
“Eyesore of American History”
Biden – who was Obama’s vice president – has targeted the closure. According to his government, he has initiated a “comprehensive review” of the detention center. Bhattacharyya said: “It has been known for two decades that this camp does not meet international standards. It would be very much to be hoped that Biden gets serious before the congressional election in November and finally closes the camp so that this stain on US history can finally be eradicated is.” The Amnesty expert described Biden’s efforts to date as “rather half-hearted”.
Bhattacharyya said Guantánamo sent out a devastating signal from the start. “The Guantánamo camp sent the signal out into the world that states which, like the USA, see themselves as champions of human rights, are prepared in certain situations to give up fundamental principles such as the rule of law.”