Amnesty International Commends President Obama’s Executive Orders to Close Guantanamo and End Torture

Human Rights Organization and its Activists Claim Major Victory After Campaigning Seven Years for the Detention Facility’s Closure

WASHINGTON, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, issued the following statement related to the signing of an executive order by President Barack Obama that will shut down the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay:

“With the stroke of a pen, President Obama initiated this nation’s return to the rule of law by immediately signing an executive order to shut down the U.S. detention facility in Guantanamo Bay. Today’s executive order is the first step toward closing the notorious prison.

“Amnesty International commends President Obama and his administration for moving quickly to restore the United States’ role as a positive force for human rights in the world. While the executive order leaves many questions unanswered, including the possibility of detainees being held for up to a year without charge, Amnesty International welcomes this very important measure and hopes it signals a commitment to place human rights at the heart of the new administration.

“Any plan to try or release Guantanamo detainees must comply with international human rights safeguards. Detainees should be promptly charged and sent for trial before U.S. federal courts without relying on the use of tainted evidence gained through coercion or torture. All others should be returned or resettled in countries, including the United States, where they will not face torture or other ill-treatment.

“Amnesty International also welcomes President Obama’s executive order to instruct the U.S. government to adhere to the current U.S. Army Field Manual, international treaty obligations and the Geneva Conventions when holding and interrogating detainees.

“As the process to close Guantanamo Bay develops, it is also extremely important that the abuses that were committed during the past eight years are investigated by an impartial tribunal and those responsible are held accountable. To truly confront the ghost of Guantanamo and all other aspects of U.S. interrogation and detention policies, the investigation must be thorough and have the mandate to investigate anyone who may have abused his power and circumvented the laws of the land.

“Finally, today’s executive order is a major victory for the Amnesty International members and other activists who worked tirelessly for more than seven years to end the torture and ill-treatment in Guantanamo and other U.S.-controlled detention facilities. The power grassroots activists brought to bear again and again through their letters, phone calls, petition drives and rallies has ultimately borne fruit — and steered the world toward justice.”

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

For more information, please go to www.amnestyusa.org.

SOURCE Amnesty International