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CJ Cregg
Commodore
Joined: 05 Oct 2002
Posts: 1254
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 Wed May 10, 2006 1:33 pm British Government calls for Guantanamo closure |
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| Quote: | British Government calls for Guantanamo closure
The Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, has called for the closure of the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay.
He is reported to have serious doubts about whether the indefinite detention of "enemy combatants" - as they are known - is legal or fair.
In a speech in London, he said the camp had become a symbol of injustice and its existence was "unacceptable".
US President George W Bush said in a TV interview on Sunday he would like to "end" the detention centre.
UK Prime minister Tony Blair has called the camp in Cuba an "anomaly".
But in the strongest worded condemnation yet from a British government official, Lord Goldsmith said: "The existence of Guantanamo remains unacceptable.
"It is time, in my view, that is should close. Not only would it, in my personal opinion, be right to close Guantanamo as a matter of principle, I believe it would also help to remove what has become a symbol to many - right or wrong - of injustice.
"The historic tradition of the United States as a beacon of freedom, liberty and of justice deserves the removal of this symbol."
Around 490 detainees are in Guantanamo Bay, which opened in January 2002.
There has been international criticism of conditions at the US camp and the length of time detainees have been held there without trial.
Rights groups have said the detainees, held on suspicion of involvement in terrorism, are mistreated through cruel interrogation methods - a charge the US denies.
Fair trial
Lord Goldsmith told the Royal United Services Institute there was a case for limiting some rights for collective security.
But he said the right to a fair trial should never be compromised.
Nine British nationals at Guantanamo were returned to the UK in 2004 and 2005 after government intervention.
Lord Goldsmith said the UK was "unable to accept that the US military tribunals proposed for those detained at Guantanamo Bay offered sufficient guarantees of a fair trial in accordance with international standards".
He went on to defend the European Convention on Human Rights and the UK's Human Rights Act.
"Fundamental rights must be protected if we are to preserve our democracies but given the current threat to our national security we have to be flexible about how we achieve this," he said.
Despite recent legal challenges to control orders, Lord Goldsmith contended that the protection of the public from the risk of terrorism "by means of civil orders and the use of secret intelligence to make out the case is untouched".
And he said deportation agreements with countries with a record of human rights abuses meant to guarantee a returnee's safety were a way of achieving the "right balance between collective security and fundamental liberties".
He also defended the creation of new criminal offences in the Terrorism Act 2006 to counter "some features of al Qaeda type terrorism which distinguish it from other forms of crime".
"Where we depart from traditional ways of guaranteeing civil liberties we should be clear that our actions are proportionate to the threat and needed to meet it," he said. |
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Theresa
Lux Mihi Deus
Joined: 17 Jun 2001
Posts: 27256
Location: United States of America
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| Wed May 10, 2006 1:37 pm |
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Wow, that's arrogant. Thought that was our job?
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Some of us fall by the wayside
And some of us soar to the stars
And some of us sail through our troubles
And some have to live with our scars
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Republican_Man
STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004
Posts: 14823
Location: Classified
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| Wed May 10, 2006 7:27 pm |
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Yeah. Since when did Britain get that responsibility?
Club Gitmo should stay open. It's the perfect hotel resort for terrorists. The tropical beaches, the free prayer rugs...What's not to like?
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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