In light of President Bush's recent remarks encouraging the international media to visit Guantanamo Bay, Human Rights Watch is reiterating its request for access to Guantanamo to monitor detention conditions and meet with detainees.
As you know, there have been numerous, credible allegations of serious abuses committed against Guantanamo detainees. Current and former detainees have made consistent statements about mistreatment by U.S. personnel, either at Guantanamo or during earlier detention in Afghanistan. Internal U.S. government documents have confirmed cases of abuse.
As your remarks suggest, transparency at Guantanamo is important to ensure that detainees are treated humanely and in accordance with international standards. Increased transparency will help improve detainee operations at Guantanamo and prevent future abuses. By contrast, lack of transparency suggests that the United States has something to hide.
But transparency at Guantanamo has not been "total." Access has been granted to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but under their rules of confidentiality, the ICRC does not discuss their concerns publicly. Media and congressional delegations who visit Guantanamo are not allowed to interview detainees, nor inspect the different detention camps. Attorneys for the detainees have strict limits on their visits, such as having their client meetings monitored and their interview notes classified. U.N. human rights special experts and rapporteurs who have sought access to Guantanamo have waited more than a year but have still not received permission from your administration.
Human Rights Watch requested access to the detention facilities at Guantanamo in 2002, 2003, and 2004, without success. We also made repeated requests—all unanswered—to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discuss our concerns about detainee operations there.
The U.S. record on prisoner treatment at Guantanamo remains opaque. Since independent observers have been unable to meet with detainees, no independent and public review of detainee operations has taken place.
We urge that you approve access to the detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay for Human Rights Watch and similar organizations. Specifically, in accordance with international standards applicable to detention inspections, we ask that Human Rights Watch and similar organizations be permitted to:
- Make regular, repeated visits to all detention areas;
- Take note of the identity of the persons detained, so that they can be seen again;
- Visit all detainees;
- Speak with detainees freely and outside the audible range of others.
We understand the practical and security concerns of allowing such visits. However, we are confident that measures can be adopted to ensure that legitimate interests are not compromised.
Thank you for considering our request.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Roth
Executive Director
