A United Nations panel today made the strongest call yet on the United States to close down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and to disclose the locations of all of its rumoured secret prisons abroad.
The ten members of the UN Committee Against Torture also called upon President Bush to end the use of torture and cruel treatment in interrogation of detainees, citing sexual humiliation, mock drownings and the use of dogs to induce fear.
In a 11-page report published today, the panel urged the US to reveal the location of any of the secret prisons, believed to be in Egypt, Jordan and Eastern Europe, to which suspects are allegedly transported by special rendition for interview under conditions which violate human rights conventions.
The panel has no legal power to enforce the US to abide by any of its demands, but it wields considerable moral authority.
For the first time in six years, the US sent a delegation of 30 officials to Geneva to defend its conduct at a hearing before the committee earlier this month. The delegation was criticised for refusing to comment on questions about secret prisons.
The report's findings will add to growing condemnation of America's activities in the War on Terror. It also stated that if proved, many of these actions could be in breach of international law.
The dossier said that there had been "reliable reports of acts of torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" by US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. It said that some "have resulted in the death of some detainees during interrogation" and criticised vague US guidelines that "have led to serious abuse of detainees."
In a judgment which could also have implications for British efforts to deport foreign nationals suspected of terrorism-related offences, the report also demands detainees should not be returned to any state where they face a "real risk" of being tortured."
In its testimony, the US delegation told the committee that use of torture or inhumane and degrading treatment by the US military or intelligence services was outlawed, wherever they may be operating. The delegation also told the committee that 89 service personnel had been convicted in 103 courts martial as authorities attempted to root out abuse.
They included a series of prosecutions following revelations in 2004 of the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, outside Baghdad, as well cases involving personnel in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay.
Nineteen of the convictions involved sentences of at least one year, while 28 personnel were thrown out of the US military, officials said. Nevertheless, the UN committee said it was "deeply concerned" at the "very lenient sentences" even after cases that had involved fatalities.
It added that such action did "not reflect the seriousness the state party claims in dealing with those abuses."
Camp X-Ray, January 2002

The United Nations Committee against Torture told the United States today that the US should close its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba as well as disclose the existence of any secret prisons it operates. 

The committee, made up of 10 independent experts has urged the Bush administration to put a stop to the use of torture or cruel treatment during the interrogation of terror suspects.

In an 11-page report, the committee said that the US should not detain anyone in a secret facility under its control. The committee also said that the US should disclose and investigate any such facilities. It is alleged that the US has a number of secret prisons where suspects are transported to and questioned using techniques that violate international human rights conventions.

Earlier this month, the US sent 30 officials to a torture committee hearing in Geneva. The delegation was criticized for failing to comment on questions relating to America's alleged secret prisons.

The committee ruled that there was evidence that US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan had violated the rights of some detainees. The committee said that some of the US' techniques had resulted in the deaths of prisoners during the interrogation process. The committee further claimed that "vague" guidelines had led to abuse of detainees.

According to the ''Associated Press'', John B. Bellinger III, a State Department legal advisor and participant during the hearings at Geneva, said of the recommendation to close the base that, "one, seems to be beyond their mandate; two, legally wrong to say that the existence of Guantanamo is a per se violation of the convention; and, three, a not very practical recommendation given that they say that it ought to be closed but that individuals can't be sent back to a large number of countries."

President Bush said previously on ARD German television that he wants to close the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp. According to White House spokesman Tony Snow, the President is waiting for the US Supreme Court to decide on the issue of whether military tribunals or civilian courts would try the detainees.