Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Interesting to see the leaked UN report out this week condemming Guantanamo as breaching international law:

"A leaked draft of the document, written over 18 months by five independent experts in international law appointed by the UN Commision on Human Rights, says the inmates atGuantanamo are being denied their rights to mental and physical health to a degree that sometimes amounts to torture"
(The Independent, 14/02/06 p.24)

The US responded "The law of war allows the US - and any other country engaged in combat - to hold enemy combatants without charges or access to counsel for the duration of the hostitlities". Which is clearly a statement full of holes. Such as where this mystical 'law of war' comes from, or what is classified as a war (the war on terror for instance? a war which is, by definition, almost indefinate), or decides when the hosatilities are over (for instance in Afghanistan, where hostitlities are officially over, or Iraq where only 'major combat hostilities are over)?

1 comment:

Simon said...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,,1711833,00.html?gusrc=rss

Apologies for just adding links as comments but I'm sort of using your blog as a bookmark for when I have more time to think about such things...