“It is outrageous that 22 years after the U.S. government opened the Guantanamo detention camp to detain Muslim men beyond the reach of U.S. law, that this abuse of human rights continues today.
“Even after the U.S. withdrew its troops from Afghanistan, the government continues to claim that indefinite detention without charge or trial is justified as part of its problematic ‘global war on terror.’
“Sixteen of the men imprisoned at Guantanamo without charge have been cleared by U.S. security agencies for transfer out of Guantanamo, some for more than a decade. Yet they unjustly remain there today.
“Meanwhile, the men accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks still have not had a trial. This has not only deprived them of their rights but has also deprived the victims of the 9/11 attacks and their survivors their right to justice. The military commissions created to try those crimes have proven wholly ineffectual and unfair, and do not meet international standards of due process.
“The Biden administration should 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 recognizable criminal offences, this must be done through fair judicial resolution, without recourse to the death penalty.
“President Biden must finally right this wrong and end this unconscionable practice that both he and President Obama pledged to do years ago. Â After 22 years, the U.S. government must finally live up to its promises and close the Guantanamo prison for good.”
Amnesty International USA has joined a letter calling on President Biden to Close Guantánamo Permanently.
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