Sami al-Haj, a journalist for Al-Jazeera, who was held prisoner by the United States government at the Guantanamo Bay prison for alleged terrorists. He is taking legal action against former President George Bush for false imprisonment and torture., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
Havana. January 16, 2012
Russia accuses U.S. of violating international law
MOSCOW, January 15.—"The situation in the Guantánamo detention center is a serious violation of international norms and rights," states the Russian Foreign Ministry in a report published on its official website.
According to Russia Today, the document refers to prisoners detained in a "legal vacuum," with no idea as to their future. "In contemporary history, there is no precedent for such a situation," it notes.
The Russian Foreign Ministry adds that during its 10 years in operation, the U.S. special prison housed 779 detainees who were not considered prisoners of war. Approximately 600 of them were held there for very long periods without any charges being brought against them. Eight prisoners died and six were sentenced by a Military Commission.
AP notes that the Ministry also criticized the National Defense Authorization Act signed by President Barack Obama on December 31, 2011, which contains an article allowing indefinite military detention without trial, sustaining that the act contradicts U.S. obligations to conform to humanitarian international law.
During his electoral campaign, Obama promised to close the prison before January 1, 2010. However, four years have passed and he still has not fulfilled that commitment.
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