Cuba Slams U.S. on Treatment of Detainees

Cuba on Wednesday accused the United States of lying about its treatment of inmates at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, claiming torture and cruelty occur daily at the prison camp for terror suspects. The Cuban Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that it sent a letter to the U.S. government urging authorities to immediately stop the alleged abuse at the camp, which sits on Cuba's easternmost tip. Cuba said the United States has been lying to hide "the horrendous torture, cruelty and humiliating and insulting treatment of prisoners" that are all part of the abuse "the U.S. government commits every day." The U.S. State Department dismissed the charges, caying it was ironic that such criticisms were coming from "the biggest, and most closed, human rights violator in the hemisphere." It denied that human rights violations are occurring at Guantanamo but stopped short of saying none had occurred previously. Accusations of mistreatment are investigated and, when confirmed, those responsible have been held accountable, the department said, adding that Guantanamo detainees are regularly visited by Red Cross officials. The U.S. administration began sending terrorism suspects to Guantanamo Bay in January 2002. About 550 detainees from nearly 40 countries are being held there, accused of links to Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime or the al-Qaida terror network. Documents published last month show FBI agents warned the government about abuse and mistreatment when the first prisoners arrived in Cuba. [more]