The US should apologize to Guantanamo prisoners

A corner of the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

"I see that after two decades of this prison's existence, the suffering of the detainees is immeasurable and continues," Reuters quoted expert Fionnuala Ni Aolain as saying at the UN on June 26. She had just concluded the first official visit by a UN expert to the prison located inside the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“Every single prisoner I met lived with lasting trauma from systematic arrest, torture and arbitrary detention,” she said, adding that excessive restrictions and near-constant surveillance were major problems.

The Pentagon did not immediately comment on the statements.

The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (GTMO) prison was established in 2002 by then-US President George W. Bush to detain suspected foreign fighters following the 9/11 attacks in the US. At its peak, the prison held about 800 inmates.

Guantanamo Bay is located on the southeastern edge of Cuba and the area of ​​approximately 117 ^km2 (including land and water) used to build the base has been leased indefinitely to the United States since 1903. Since taking power in 1959, the Cuban government has continuously protested the presence of the US military on the island nation's territory.

US President Joe Biden has said he wants to close the prison but has not yet laid out a plan to do so, and about 30 inmates remain there. Aolain’s comments came after the International Committee of the Red Cross and another UN agency criticized Washington over the Guantanamo prison.

“The US government must urgently provide legal redress, an apology and assurances that this will not happen again,” Aolain said. But she also praised Washington for allowing her access to the prison, saying “few states have shown such courage.”

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