Agence France Presse March 3, 2006 Friday
The Vatican issued a sharp rebuke Friday to the United States over its
continued operation of the Guantanamo Bay prison, accusing it of failing to
respect human dignity in its treatment of prisoners there.
"It seems clear that in this prison man's dignity is not being respected at
all," said Cardinal Renato Martino, the Vatican's "minister" for justice and
peace.
The Vatican has not previously commented directly on the controversial prison
camp, which the United Nations has demanded that Washington shut down.
"Isn't the lack of rights stamping on the dignity of man. Everyone always has
the right to an equable and just judgement," said Martino, speaking in an
interview with Italy's ANSA news agency on his return from a visit to Cuba.
In December, Pope Benedict said in an annual peace message that countries
have a duty to respect international humanitarian law even if they are at war.
"If there are inmates who find themselves in such conditions, deprived of
their liberty without even knowing what they are charged with -- wherever in the
world -- we will not hesitate the defend them," Martino said.
"I want to remind people that even people who have committed crimes remain
human beings whose dignity must be respected," the cardinal added.
Some 500 detainees have been held at Guantanamo since January 2002 but only 10 have been formally charged as alleged terrorists. Most were captured soon after the US-led war in Afghanistan against the Taliban regime.
A report by the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva made public last month
said inmates had been abused and that it should be closed.