Closing Guantanamo - Congressional leader accepts Brussels invitation

1.29.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 8th May 2008

Sarah takes EU opposition to Guantanamo to the US congress

A boost to the prospect of closing Guantanamo has come from recent events in the European Parliament and the US Congress and the cooperation between them.

In Brussels as part of the European Parliament's annual human rights report voted today, the civil liberties committee adopted an amendment on Guantanamo from London Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford. This calls for closure but also for the EU to assist by promoting an international initiative to resettle detainees unable to return to their countries of origin for fear of torture or prosecution.

In Washington Sarah Ludford last week met again Congressman Bill Delahunt, Chairman of the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight. A year ago she presented to his committee the results of the MEP probe on European governments' collusion with CIA kidnap and torture and just this week it has held a hearing on Guantanamo, see:

http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing_notice.asp?id=980

Sarah Ludford commented:

"I am optimistic on the prospects for ending this scar on our conscience that Guantanamo represents, especially as Congressman Delahunt has accepted in principle an invitation to address the European Parliament's Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee. I hope we can arrange that before too long."

"All potential successors to President Bush have declared their intention to restore the US' moral authority by ensuring compliance with the rule of law including the absolute ban on torture. The EU needs to advance that prospect by helping to empty Guantanamo as soon as possible. This would be represent some compensation for complicity in filling it."

"The fact that a released Guantanamo prisoner is alleged to have committed a suicide bombing in Iraq is beside the point. What we are demanding is that anyone suspected of terrorist activities should be tried in accordance with due process, and then locked up if guilty."