Cuba asks the UN to investigate USA in Guantánamo

  Cuba asks the UN to investigate USA in Guantánamo

  BY IVAN TERRERO—Granma International  staff writer—

A few hours after the UN vote against Cuba in the Human Rights Commission 
(HRC), the island’s government called on the same agency to investigate the 
situation of the prisoners detained by the United States on the Guantánamo 
naval base.

“The international community has a right to know what is happening there,” 
stated Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque during a press conference at the 
Havana Ministry.

The press conference was called a few minutes after the vote on the 
anti-Cuba resolution in Geneva.

Around 600 persons suspected of belonging to the Al-Qaeda network or the 
Taliban have been detained on the Guantánamo base without formal charges or 
access to legal representation.

The resolution presented by Cuba is aimed at an investigation and report on 
the prison conditions of the detainees and the cessation of all violations 
of their rights. Moreover, Cuba has asked for a special rapporteur on 
issues of torture to pronounce on the situation at the U.S. base, and a 
follow up discussion on the issue at the next HRC session in 2005.

The Cuban foreign minister explained that the text only asks for the 
creation of control and investigation mechanisms and presented all the 
participating journalists with a copy of the document.

Pérez Roque announced that he is to ask the 22 nations who voted against 
Cuba yesterday to co-sponsor the resolution. “We likewise hope for 
sponsorship from the European nations whose parliament has mandated them to 
give priority attention to prisoners on the base.

The HRC passed the anti-Cuban resolution presented by Honduras with the 
minimal difference of one vote: 22 in favor, 21 against and 10 abstentions.

The minister qualified the result of the vote as ridiculous and affirmed 
that the document could never be presented as a condemnation of Cuba. “This 
confirms once again the decline and discredit into which the anti-Cuban 
maneuver organized by the United States at the HRC has fallen,” he stated.
-- 
Macdonald Stainsby
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
In the contradiction lies the hope
		--Brecht.



_______________________________________________
Rad-Green mailing list
[email protected]
To change your options or unsubscribe go to:
http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green