Washington: A human rights body today expressed doubts over the recent announcement by Obama Administration to shift Guantanamo detainees to a correctional facility in Illinois and voiced concerns about the lawful treatment of the prisoners.
"While closing Guantanamo is important, simply transferring detainees to the US will not solve the problem," the Human Rights Watch counter-terrorism director, Joanne
Mariner, said in a media release.
The US yesterday announced that it has plans to purchase the Thomson Correctional Center to house federal inmates as well as detainees from Guantanamo.
However, it did not specify the nature of the Guantanamo detainees who may be transferred to Thomson, the Human Rights Watch said and called on the administration to 'either release detainees or prosecute them in federal court'.
"If Thomson will be used to facilitate their lawful prosecution then this is truly a positive step," Mariner said.
"But if the administration plans to hold the detainees indefinitely in the Thomson prison without charging them, President Obama will simply have moved Guantanamo to
Illinois," he added.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, December 16, 2009, 12:52