MEPs call on Blair: Defend Guantanamo detainee rights

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 16th Jul 2003

MEPs from across the EU have called on Tony Blair's to raise with George Bush at his meeting, European concerns regarding treatment of the detainees, including from several EU countries, in Guantanamo Bay.

A text similar to that of the Early Day Motion in the House of Commons (which currently has 221 signatures) has already been signed by members of the European Parliament from the UK, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Belgium. More signatures are expected.

Sarah Ludford MEP, European Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson commented:

"We've been told many times that Mr Blair enjoys a special relationship with George Bush. For myself and my European colleagues this meeting with Bush is a critical test of that.

"With concern in the House of Commons matched by concern in the European Parliament, Mr Blair must decide on his priorities. Tony Blair must prove he is a 'candid friend' by securing justice for UK and other EU citizens and uphold the values common to Europe and America."

Statement signed by the MEPs:

"We, the undersigned, express our concern that EU (British, Swedish, Danish, French and Spanish) citizens, as well as those of other nationalities currently detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will not face a fair trial but instead a military tribunal; that they will face the choice of either pleading guilty and 20 years in prison or pleading not guilty and facing a prospect of an unfair trial and the death penalty and that they will not be free to pick their own defence lawyer but instead have a lawyer from the US military who they may not trust; we further note that their mental condition after 18 months of incarceration in two metre cube cages with only half an hour's exercise twice a week may mean that they are unable adequately to brief a lawyer or defend themselves concerning events more than two years ago, that they will not be given the opportunity to cross-examine witnesses who may present unreliable but critical evidence based on plea bargaining, that the verdict will be decided behind closed doors by a military judge and jury feared to be pre-disposed towards a guilty verdict and the death penalty and that such an outcome would risk the encouragement of more terrorist activity and undermine the security of all those who depend on the respect for human and legal rights, including American service personnel abroad; and call upon Tony Blair, and all other European leaders, to express these concerns to George Bush."

Signed by:

Sarah Ludford MEP UK

Olle Schmidt MEP Sweden

Anna Terron MEP Spain

Torben Lund MEP Denmark

Elspeth Attwooll MEP UK

Simon Murphy MEP UK

Antonio Di Pietro MEP Italy

Mihail Papayannakis MEP Greece

Pernille Frahm MEP Denmark

Proinsias De Rossa MEP Ireland

Marco Cappato MEP Italy

Maurizio Turco MEP Italy

Paul Lannoye MEP Belgium

Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufman MEP Germany

Heidi Ruehle MEP Germany

Lord Inglewood MEP UK

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP UK

Carlos Coelho MEP Portugal

Konstantinos Alyssandrakis MEP Greece

Alain Lipietz MEP France

Gianni Vattimo MEP Italy

John Walls Cushnahan MEP Ireland

Graham Watson MEP UK

Anna Karamanou MEP Greece

Jean Lambert MEP UK

Marianne Eriksson MEP Sweden

Herman Schmid MEP Sweden

Jonas Sjöstedt MEP Sweden

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