Associated Press
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba – Four members of the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived Thursday to meet with U.S. officials and interview dozens of al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners being held at this remote U.S. military outpost.
The visit was the first by independent experts at Camp X-ray, which human rights advocates claim provides substandard conditions for the prisoners. U.S. officials say the tight security is necessary and that the prisoners’ rights are not being violated.
The Red Cross team of four, including a doctor, arrived Thursday on a small plane from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
During the day Thursday, guards used basic commands in Arabic for some of the prisoners while a forklift groaned, hoisting materials to expand the temporary detention facility.
Behind three fences and coils of razor wire, prisoners with shaved heads and orange jumpsuits sat in open-air cells of chain-link fence. Occasionally, Army guards led a prisoner out of a cell, taking him for a walk in the heavily fortified yard.
“For the most part, they do what they’re told,” said Sgt. Lisa Juve, an Army guard who spoke to journalists who were allowed to see the detention camp, but only from about 150 yards away.
Military officials say the camp will soon be able to hold 320 inmates, or more if they are doubled up two to a cell. Workers also are building a permanent prison to hold up to 2,000.
When they arrive, prisoners are given a half-sheet of paper to write to family or friends of their indefinite detention in Cuba.
Five interpreters using Arabic and other languages help the guards communicate with the prisoners, officials said. They could not immediately say how many languages were being used.
The unarmed guards carry booklets with the pronunciation of some basic terms in Arabic, such as “Walk!” “No!” and “Use the latrine?”
A Marine security guard, Cpl. Joe Lupo, said he was struck by the prisoners’ size. “They’re pretty small guys,” he said, describing some of them as appearing to be in their teens.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
