U.N. Torture Committee Highly Critical Of U.S. Policies

In a report by the U.N. Committee Against Torture, it is highly critical of policies of the United States which deals with secret prisons, with accountability of military and civilian officials who carried out or authorized the use of acts of torture, with transferring of detainees to countries with prevalent use of torture, and with the use of indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay. This report also called for the closing of the prison at Gitmo, as many other UN and international reports have done thus far.

This report (which can be found Here), asks the US to "...ensure that reports of brutality and ill-treatment of members of vulnerable groups by its law enforcement personnel are independently, promptly and thoroughly investigated and that perpetrators are prosecuted and appropriately punished."

The report also says that the US "...should ensure that detained children are kept in facilities separate from those for adults in conformity with international standards." It is reported that over 60 children are currently held at Gitmo.

Also reported is that the US needs to "...ensure that independent, prompt and thorough procedures to review the circumstances of detention and the status of detainees are available to all detainees..."

Other groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the US and its use of torture and indefinite detention. These international concerns must be looked into and investigated. Without international support the US will not be able to sustain its current policy. We must have accountability not only to other countries and organizations but to the American people as well.