- Amnesty International and two other leading human rights
organisations are protesting to the Pentagon about its decision not to
let them attend the planned trials of al-Qaida suspects held at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba.
-
- The US defence department, in a written response to the
organisations published today, refused to allow them to send representatives,
citing the lack of courtroom space and other logistical problems. Journalists
and the International Committee of the Red Cross will be able to attend.
-
- Lesley Warner, a spokeswoman for Amnesty International,
said yesterday: "The US regularly criticises other governments for
failing to accommodate trial monitors."
-
- "Allowing media coverage while pleading insufficient
space for human rights groups smacks of fear of informed criticism, and
will only fuel the perception that tribunals will be show trials."
-
- The three organisations, Amnesty, Human Rights Watch
and Human Rights First, have written a letter of complaint to the defence
secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, urging him to rethink. No date has been set
for the hearings.
-
- Daniel Dell'Orto, principal deputy general counsel at
the defence department, said in the letter to the organisations: "If
a military commission is held t is expected that limited courtroom seating
and other logistical issues will preclude attendance by many who desire
to observe military commission proceedings."
-
- "We intend to provide seating for the press to permit
full and open reporting to the maximum extent practicable."
-
- Wendy Patten, of Human Rights Watch, said: "The
defence department wants to control who can talk to the journalists covering
the trials.
-
- "The Pentagon has imposed a gag rule on defence
lawyers, who can only speak to the press with the military's permission.
-
- "Now it wants to shut out experienced trial observers
who could provide the public with independent analysis."
-
- The three bodies say that the ICRC is unlikely to offer
public comment because it operates through confidential communications
with governments.
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- Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited
2004
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- http://www.guardian.co.uk/guantanamo/story/0,13743,1154462,00.html
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