MEDIA CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected]
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) —The Department of Defense announced an additional nine transfers of Guantanamo detainees to Saudi Arabia today. Amnesty International remains concerned that the human rights of detainees transferred from Guantánamo are respected and that they are humanely treated. Detainees who are cleared for transfer must be sent to countries, including Saudi Arabia, that will respect their human rights.
In response to today’s transfer, Amnesty International USA’s Security & Human Rights Program Director Naureen Shah issued the following statement:
“These transfers add to the building momentum that must continue until Guantánamo is closed once and for all. Despite repeated attempts by some in Congress to keep Guantánamo open, President Obama’s continued transfer of Guantánamo detainees signal that he does not buy into their fear mongering.
“Congress cannot continue playing politics with the lives of detainees who may die behind bars without ever facing trial. If the remaining detainees are not transferred, released or charged, Guantánamo will risk becoming a permanent stain on the United States’ human rights record.”
Many of the detainees have been subjected to serious human rights violations, including enforced disappearance and torture, but access to remedy has systematically been blocked and accountability minimal. Amnesty International calls on the U.S. authorities to ensure independent and impartial investigations into all credible allegations of human rights violations carried out at Guantánamo and against detainees held elsewhere. The findings should be made public, and anyone responsible for crimes under international law brought to justice, regardless of their current or former level of office.
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Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.