Phil Taylor's papers
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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA 'OWN GOALS' IN THE GWOT
Guantanamo Bay by the Red Cross 
Guantanamo Bay For humanitarians and human rights campaigners, there is a single key question about the captives held in Guantanamo Bay: does their treatment meet the standards accepted as humanitarian under international law? It is not easy to find out. The officer in overall charge of Camp Delta, Major-General Geoffrey Miller, told the BBC: "We are detaining the enemy combatants here in Guantanamo in a humane manner in accordance with the Geneva Conventions with the exception of the requirements of military necessity." In June 2003 the authorities at Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay invited journalists to see for themselves. A reporter from the BBC went. But the tour was terminated when some of the detainees unexpectedly called out to the reporters. An officer explained that speaking to the media is not something detainees are allowed. Before the visit was cut short, the BBC reporter John Manel was told how a guard force of 600 staff supervise 680 detainees held at the US military base in Cuba. There are high security, medium security and hospital facilities in the compound which is surrounded by razor wire, watch towers and search lights. In the high security sector, inmates are kept in cells measuring 2.3 metres by 2.4 metres (6ft 8ins by 8ft). A cell block contains 48 cells. The officer described the items provided for detainees on entering: an orange T-shirt, a pair of orange shorts, orange pants, an orange shirt, two towels, a sheet, a blanket and a mattress. Some detainees have an additional sisal mattress that they use to pray on. They have flip flops, a copy of the Koran, and they know the direction to Mecca. They are also given soap, toothpaste, tooth brush, prayer beads, prayer oil, a hat and a cup for water. A number of detainees have, through what the guards call "positive behaviour", earned the right to have a game of draughts. Each cell contains a squat toilet and a face bowl with running water. Walls of cells are made of mesh material so there is no inbuilt privacy. You can see from one cell to another across the whole block. The guards say detainees have devised their own system of "operational privacy" using sheets and blankets. The lights are on 24 hours a day. There is an open air shower block. The guard would not say whether detainees are shackled when they go down for a shower. There is a caged recreation yard measuring 7.6 metres by 9.1 metres (25ft by 30ft). Detainees can use this for 30 minutes between three and seven times a week. This used to be 15 minutes twice a week. Do you think these conditions are humane? The International Committee of the Red Cross has been visiting prisoners of war all over the world since 1915. This practice is codified in the Third Geneva Convention. So what does the Red Cross say about Guantanamo Bay? Here are nine questions and answers. A full report on the BBC visit, including an audio recording, is at
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