Five UK detainees in Guantanamo Bay to be released

Five of the nine British nationals held by the US in Guantanamo Bay are set to be released, the BBC reported today.

Last month, the Times newspaper reported that preparations were being made for the release of the first of the camp's nine British detainees. According to comments attributed to US envoy Pierre-Richard Prosper, repatriation would begin in the coming weeks. Mr Prosper also said that the US would want to be reassured that the detainees were "managed" following repatriation.

Camp Delta holds around 600 people who are suspected of being Taleban and Al Qaida members. Many of the internees have now been held without trial for almost two years.

Amnesty International has criticised the US for detaining people in conditions which "may amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment", and said that the detainees "face severe psychological distress".

According to the human rights group: "None of the detainees have been granted prisoner of war status or brought before a 'competent tribunal' to determine his status, as required by Article 5 of the Third Geneva Convention. The US government refuses to clarify their legal status, despite calls from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to do so. Instead, the US government labels them 'enemy combatants' or 'terrorists', flouting their right to be presumed innocent and illegally presuming justification for the denial of many of their most basic human rights."

(gmcg)