- Nearly 700 prisoners from 38 nations detained by the
US forces after the war in Afghanistan are held at Camp Delta at the US
naval station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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- The US authorities say that the detainees are al-Qaida
and Taliban members and potential terrorists, while the camp's critics
claim that it is illegal under international law and that a growing number
of prisoners suffer serious psychological problems and already 34 have
attempted suicide. Many of those detained have claimed that they have no
connection with al-Qaida but were caught up in the round-up carried out
by US troops.
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- Construction of Camp Delta began in February last year
to cope with the increased number of detainees after the initial detention
centre, Camp X-Ray, had proved too small, with its capacity of 320, to
hold all the prisoners. Plans are under way to increase the size of the
camp to hold more than 800 by the end of the year.
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- There are 24 detention units in each block at the camp,
the units being 2.4m (8ft) long, 2m (6ft 8ins) wide and 2.4m high. Conditions
are better than those at Camp X-Ray, with each unit having its own sink,
toilet and bed.
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- Prisoners are entitled to three meals a day, which are
described as "culturally appropriate" - offering a diet that
does not conflict with the detainees' Islamic faith. Camp officials claim
that prisoners have put on an average of about 6kg (13lb) each.
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- Tight security
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- Security is so tight that any materials associated with
the food that could possibly be used by detainees to create a makeshift
weapon are removed by guards and at the end of every meal prisoners have
to account for every item connected with the food. One of the reasons given
is to prevent detainees from committing suicide.
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- As well as the 34 prisoners reported to have attempted
suicide, more than 80 are said to suffer from psychological problems, mainly
depression. Three have tried to hang themselves using home-made nooses.
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- The prisoners are dressed in orange suits and flip-flop
sandals and are each given a pair of shorts because the temperature can
reach 38C (100F). They are entitled to two showers a week. The detainees
are also allowed a copy of the Koran and a prayer mat; an arrow in each
cell points in the direction of Mecca.
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- The official reason for holding the prisoners at Camp
Delta is that they are non-American citizens and that they were members
of al-Qaida or have trained with the group. Of the 38 different nationalities,
the largest number are Saudi Arabians at around 150, with more than 80
Yemenis and more than 50 Pakistanis.
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- Despite the official end of hostilities in Afghanistan,
there has been a steady stream of prisoners since the camp opened. In June
last year there were 536 detainees at the camp, a figure which has now
increased to 680. They range in age from a 15-year-old boy to men in their
seventies.
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- Detainees who have been released from the camp - around
35 so far - and returned to Afghanistan have mainly complained about the
extreme isolation and the fact that they were often kept with people whose
language they did not share.
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- While there have not been complaints of beatings, those
interrogated have said that they were subjected to sleep deprivation during
the sessions, which are carried out by intelligence officers from the CIA
and the military. Those who misbehave are taken to the "cooler",
and if they require medical treatment they are shackled to trolleys before
being taken to the medical facility.
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- The prisoners at Camp Delta are not entitled to access
to lawyers or any of the normal legal rights of prisoners. A number of
lawyers based in Los Angeles have sought through the courts to gain access
to the men to represent them but have been rebuffed.
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- In the planned tribunals, the prisoners will be given
a defence lawyer but not one of their choice and they will be subject to
a number of other restrictions: the prosecution lawyers will be entitled
to listen in to all discussions between the accused and his lawyer. There
will also be no appeal if the accused is convicted.
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- Civil rights organisations in the US have argued that
the men should be tried or released, but few mainstream politicians have
adopted that position.
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/alqaida/story/0,12469,991871,00.html
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