Guantánamo: Palau’s offer to accept detainees would not excuse USA
11 June 2009, 08:52AM
Reports that the government of Palau has offered to temporarily accept up to 17 Guantánamo detainees leave many questions unanswered and even if the offer is taken up it would not relieve the US authorities of their responsibility to the men, Amnesty International has said.
The President of Palau, Johnson Toribiong, said today that the Pacific island nation had agreed to accept on a temporary basis 17 Uighur men who have been held without charge or trial in Guantánamo since 2002 “as a humanitarian gesture”, subject to periodic review. In subsequent reports, an unidentified US official is quoted as saying that there has been "no final decision, no details arranged. We will continue talks with Palau."
“Although Amnesty International has been calling on other countries to offer humanitarian protection to Guantánamo detainees, this announcement raises more questions than it answers and in no way absolves the US authorities of their responsibility towards these men,” Daniel Gorevan, of Amnesty International’s Counter Terror with Justice Campaign, said today.
Reports of Palau’s offer do not specify whether the men would face any further detention in Palau.
No information is available as to whether the wishes of the detainees have been taken into account in this decision, whether the USA would put in place the measures necessary to facilitate family reunification and whether the men would be supported to adapt to a new life in an unfamiliar country, taking into consideration their particular needs arising from years of indefinite detention.
“The announcement that this would be a temporary measure also raises serious questions. Having been detained in limbo in Guantánamo for more than seven years, the Uighur men need more than temporary half measures. They need and are owed permanent and durable solutions,” said Daniel Gorevan.
The USA began the Guantánamo detentions and therefore carries the primary responsibility for ending them, in ways that comply with its international obligations. Nevertheless, Amnesty International has long called on other countries to help by accepting some detainees who cannot be returned to their home countries. Many countries have refused, citing the USA’s own resistance to offering them the opportunity to be admitted to the US mainland.
Features and analysis
Healthy homelands
An Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory is showing the government how to close the health gap.
Childbirth in Sierra Leone
Many women in Sierra Leone spend the final months of pregnancy and agonising hours of childbirth fearing for their lives.
Harming Children
Professor Louise Newman explains how detaining children on Christmas Island is likely to affect their mental health.
These features are taken from our Human Rights Defender magazine - subscribe free now
By Category
By month
Make an impact
You can make a difference right now. Your action will help shine the light of hope into people's lives across the world.
Check out what 110,722 people are doing right now to support human rights.
Stay Informed
Get Involved
Amnesty International relies on your support to continue our vital work protecting human rights. Please help us keep governments accountable, bring the guilty to justice, and save lives.
Sitewide information
- Copyright © Amnesty International Australia
- ABN: 640 0280 6233
- Phone: 1300 300 920
Comments
Comments are submitted by members of the public and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Amnesty International Australia. If you find a comment objectionable please contact the web editor.
Michael Wild
11 June 2009, 06:33PM
I’ll follow further news on these men with great interest. They certainly deserve a permanent placement. I’d like to know what they want (if they’ve been asked). Certainly the US has obligations to these men but their shameful treatment comes from the truly shameful previous administration. The new one is trying to do the right thing. And fair’s fair. Even the last administration admitted these men were innocent and tried to release them. I’d like to see Myanmar/Burma’s government do that.
Michael Wild
Convenor Bunbury Group
Page 1 of 1 pages