First UN investigator at US detention center at Guantanamo says detainees face cruel treatment

In this file photo taken on January 19, 2012 and reviewed by the US military taken through a one way mirror shows two detainees shackled to the floor during recreation time in Cell Block A in the "Camp Six" detention facility of the Joint Detention Group at the US Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AFP)
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Updated 27 June 2023
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First UN investigator at US detention center at Guantanamo says detainees face cruel treatment

  • “Every single detainee I met with lives with the unrelenting harms that follow from systematic practices of rendition, torture and arbitrary detention”

UNITED NATIONS: The first UN independent investigator to visit the US detention center at Guantanamo Bay said Monday the 30 men held there are subject “to ongoing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law.”
The investigator, Irish law professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, said at a news conference launching her 23-page report to the UN Human Rights Council that the 2001 attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania that killed nearly 3,000 people were “crimes against humanity.” But she said the US use of torture and rendition against alleged perpetrators and their associates in the years right after the attacks violated international human rights law.
Ní Aoláin said her visit marked the first time a U.S, administration has allowed a UN investigator to visit the facility, which opened in 2002.
She praised the Biden administration for leading by example by opening up Guantanamo and “being prepared to address the hardest human rights issues,” and urged other countries that have barred UN access to detention facilities to follow suit. And she said she was given access to everything she asked for, including holding meetings at the facility in Cuba with “high value” and “non-high value” detainees.
The United States said in a submission to the Human Rights Council on the report’s findings that the special investigator’s findings “are solely her own” and “the United States disagrees in significant respects with many factual and legal assertions” in her report.
Ní Aoláin said “significant improvements” have been made to the confinement of detainees, but expressed “serious concerns about the continued detention of 30 men, who she said face severe insecurity, suffering and anxiety. She cited examples including near constant surveillance, forced removal from their cells and unjust use of restraints.
“I observed that after two decades of custody, the suffering of those detained is profound, and it’s ongoing,” the UN special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism said. “Every single detainee I met with lives with the unrelenting harms that follow from systematic practices of rendition, torture and arbitrary detention. ”
Ní Aoláin, concurrently a professor at the University of Minnesota and at Queens University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, said that for many detainees the line between past and present “is exceptionally thin” and for some “it’s simply nonexistent” because “their past experiences of torture live with them in the present without any obvious end in sight, including because they have not received any adequate torture rehabilitation to date.”
She made a long series of recommendations and said the prison at Guantanamo Bay should be closed.
The US response, submitted by the American ambassador to the Human Rights Council, Michele Taylor, said Ní Aoláin was the first UN special rapporteur to visit Guantanamo and had been given “unprecedented access” with “the confidence that the conditions of confinement at Guantanamo Bay are humane and reflect the United States’ respect for and protection of human rights for all who are within our custody.”
“Detainees live communally and prepare meals together; receive specialized medical and psychiatric care; are given full access to legal counsel; and communicate regularly with family members,” the US statement said.
“We are nonetheless carefully reviewing the (special rapporteur’s) recommendations and will take any appropriate actions, as warranted,” it said.
The United States said the Biden administration has made “significant progress” toward closing Guantanamo, transferring 10 detainees from the facility, it said, adding that it is looking to find suitable locations for the remaining detainees eligible for transfer.
“For those few not yet eligible for transfer, we conduct periodic reviews to determine whether continued detention under the law of war is warranted,” it said, while proceedings for detainees subject to criminal prosecutions continue in military commissions.

 


Kyiv calls on foreign troops not to take part in Russia’s May 9 parade

Updated 2 sec ago
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Kyiv calls on foreign troops not to take part in Russia’s May 9 parade

“The Russian army has committed and continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine,” Kyiv’s foreign ministry said
“These people are not liberators of Europe, they are occupiers and war criminals“

KYIV: Ukraine warned Tuesday against any foreign troop participation in Russia’s May 9 parade to mark 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany, saying it would be “unacceptable” and seen as helping Moscow “whitewash its war crimes.”
A handful of countries have in recent years sent their militaries to take part in Russia’s traditional May 9 parade — a showpiece event that has become the country’s most important public holiday under President Vladimir Putin’s quarter-century in power.
“The Russian army has committed and continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine on a scale that Europe has not seen since World War II,” Kyiv’s foreign ministry said.
“It is this army that will march on Red Square in Moscow on May 9. These people are not liberators of Europe, they are occupiers and war criminals.”
Kyiv said marching with Russian soldiers would be considered as “sharing responsibility” for Moscow’s actions during its three-year Ukraine invasion.
“To march side by side with them is to share responsibility for the blood of murdered Ukrainian children, civilians and military, not to honor the victory over Nazism.”
Ukraine was one of the most devastated countries during World War II, with Kyiv saying it “touched every Ukrainian family.”
The foreign ministry also said that six million Ukrainians fought in the Red Army — with five million Ukrainian civilians killed and three million Ukrainian troops.
Russian leader Vladimir Putin attributed the victory over Nazism in Europe as a feat primarily achieved by the Russian nation.
Central Asian troops have often taken part in the Moscow parade.
The Kremlin has this year not ruled out that North Korean soldiers could take part for the first time, after Pyongyang’s troops helped Moscow oust Ukrainian soldiers from Russia’s Kursk region.

UN chief: India, Pakistan must ‘step back from the brink’

An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel inspects a vehicle near the India-Pakistan Wagah border post.
Updated 23 min ago
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UN chief: India, Pakistan must ‘step back from the brink’

  • Countries should exercise ‘maximum restraint’ amid soaring tensions, says Antonio Guterres
  • UN Security Council holds closed-door session to discuss dispute

NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on India and Pakistan to exercise “maximum restraint” amid soaring tensions between the two countries.

It follows last month’s terror attack in the Pahalgam area of Jammu and Kashmir.

Both countries administer parts of the territory but claim it in full.

The attack on April 22 killed at least 26 civilians and injured many more.

Guterres, speaking outside the Security Council at UN Headquarters in New York City on Monday, warned that tensions between India and Pakistan “are at their highest in years.”

He added: “I deeply respect and am profoundly grateful to the government and people of both countries — and their significant contributions to the work of the UN, not least UN peacekeeping.

“And so it pains me to see relations reaching a boiling point.”

The Indian government today will carry out a nationwide civil defense drill to simulate an attack on its territory.

Pakistan on Saturday test-fired a ballistic missile with a range of 450 km.

Guterres called on the two countries to “step back from the brink,” and warned that a “military solution is no solution.”

He said: “I understand the raw feelings following the awful terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22. 

“I once again strongly condemn that attack and extend my condolences to the families of the victims.

“Targeting civilians is unacceptable — and those responsible must be brought to justice through credible and lawful means.

“It is also essential — especially at this critical hour — to avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control.

“Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink.

The UN Security Council met on Monday in a closed-door session to discuss the tensions.

Guterres pledged to support “any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy and a renewed commitment to peace.”


Macron to host Syrian leader’s first European visit

Updated 06 May 2025
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Macron to host Syrian leader’s first European visit

  • French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa to Paris on Wednesday for his first visit to Europe

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome Syrian leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa to Paris on Wednesday for his first visit to Europe, despite growing doubts about Syria’s ruling Islamist coalition and protests from France’s far right.
Since the fall of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in December following fourteen years of devastating war, the international community has been pressing the new authorities, who have roots in the Al-Qaeda jihadist network, to respect personal freedoms, protect minorities and include all components of society in the country’s transition.
Many countries say they will monitor the new authorities’ conduct before fully lifting Assad-era sanctions.
“This meeting is part of France’s historic commitment to the Syrian people who aspire to peace and democracy,” the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday.
Macron will “reiterate France’s support for the construction of a new Syria, a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of Syrian society,” the presidency said.
Macron will also emphasize “his demands on the Syrian government, primarily the stabilization of the region, including Lebanon, and the fight against terrorism,” it said.
President Sharaa is still subject to a UN travel ban. France most likely had to request an exemption from the United Nations, as was the case for his recent trips to Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, according to a source familiar with the matter.
France, a former colonial ruler of Syria, is eyeing an opportunity to increase its influence in the country after years of Russian presence.
In February, France organized a conference in Paris on the reconstruction of Syria, in the hope of steering the fragile transition. Syria has been devastated by years of civil war, with over 90 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
Macron had first invited Syria’s new leader to visit France in February.
In March, he repeated the invitation but made it conditional on the formation of an inclusive Syrian government representing “all components of civil society,” describing his initial negotiations with the interim leaders as “positive.”
Syria’s new Islamist authorities have vowed inclusive rule in the multi-confessional, multi-ethnic country.
But sectarian clashes in March in which more than 1,700 people were killed, mostly from Assad’s Alawite minority, sparked widespread condemnation.
More recent clashes involving fighters from the Druze community, as well as reports of abuses from NGOs, have also raised doubts about the interim government’s ability to control extremists in its ranks.
Adding to pressure on the new Syrian government, Israel has also launched hundreds of strikes on the country since Assad’s overthrow, including one near the presidential palace in Damascus on Friday.
Israel has said its forces stand ready to protect the Druze minority and said the strike near the presidential palace was intended to send a “clear message” to Syria’s new rulers.
But the interim government described the strike as a “dangerous escalation,” while the United Nations urged Israel to halt its attacks on Syria “at once.”
The French far right criticized the upcoming talks.
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused Macron of hosting talks with “a jihadist” who has been involved with the Daesh group and Al-Qaeda, adding such a meeting would be “provocative and irresponsible.”
“Shock and dismay,” Le Pen said on X.
“Once again, Emmanuel Macron is damaging France’s image and discrediting its commitment, particularly among its allies, in the fight against Islamism.”
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who met with the Syrian leader on a visit to Damascus in January, defended the talks.
“The safety of French people is at stake in Syria,” Barrot told broadcaster RTL, adding it was important to fight terrorism and drug trafficking in the conflict-riven country as well as control migration.
Not engaging the leaders of Syria and Lebanon would amount to “rolling out the red carpet for Daesh,” he said, referring to the Daesh terrorists.
French companies are meanwhile eyeing a role in Syria’s reconstruction.
Last week, French logistics giant CMA CGM signed a 30-year contract to develop and operate the port of Latakia, at an event attended by Sharaa.


UK may restrict students from countries most likely to claim asylum

Updated 06 May 2025
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UK may restrict students from countries most likely to claim asylum

  • High levels of legal migration have long dominated Britain’s political conversation
  • Out of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in Britain last year, 16,000 had student visas

LONDON: The British government may restrict visa applications from students living in countries that are considered most likely to claim asylum in a move designed to bring down annual net migration, a government official said.
The move comes after Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party was punished in local elections in England last week by voters angry over issues, including illegal immigration.
The government is expected next week to publish a policy document, known as a white paper, which will set out how the government plans to reduce net migration, which reached 728,000 people in the year to June last year.
“Our upcoming Immigration White Paper will set out a comprehensive plan to restore order to our broken immigration system,” the Home Office said in a statement.
High levels of legal migration have long dominated Britain’s political conversation and were one of the major drivers for the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Out of the 108,000 people who claimed asylum in Britain last year, 16,000 had student visas, government data shows. The government does not provide a breakdown of the nationalities of those who had student visas, who went on to claim asylum.
But the government said people from Pakistan, Nigeria and Sri Lanka were the most likely to claim asylum in Britain after arriving on a work, student, or a visitor visa.
In the aftermath of the party’s poor local election results last week, some Labour members of parliament urged the government to do more to take a more decisive approach on issues such as bringing down net migration.
Jo White, who represents a group of lawmakers in previously Labour heartlands known as the “Red Wall,” said the government should stop “pussyfooting around.”


Michigan drops charges against pro-Palestinian campus protesters

Updated 06 May 2025
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Michigan drops charges against pro-Palestinian campus protesters

  • “Baseless and absurd allegations of bias have only furthered this divide,” said Nessel, a Democrat, who added that “distractions and ongoing delays have created a circus-like atmosphere”
  • She noted that a judge still hadn’t decided whether to send the cases to a trial court despite multiple hearings

ANN ARBOR: State prosecutors dropped felony charges Monday against seven people accused of trespassing and resisting police a year ago during the break-up of a pro-Palestinian camp at the University of Michigan.
Attorney General Dana Nessel said she believed the cases were strong but suggested her office was worn down by criticism and other factors. She noted that a judge in Washtenaw County still hadn’t decided whether to send the cases to a trial court despite multiple hearings.
“Baseless and absurd allegations of bias have only furthered this divide,” said Nessel, a Democrat, who added that “distractions and ongoing delays have created a circus-like atmosphere.”
The camp on the Diag, a traditional site for campus protests, was cleared by police in May 2024 after a month. The university said the camp had become a threat to safety, with overloaded power sources and open flames.
Defense attorney Amir Makled said Nessel was trying to turn free speech into a crime.
“We sent a clear message to both Lansing and to Washington, that the people still rule, and that public pressure compels the rule of law to be upheld,” Makled said Monday.
Protesters had demanded that the school’s endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. The university insisted it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel.