US 'must end secret detention'

2005-08-04 11:00

London - The United States must end the practice of detaining "secret" prisoners around the world, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, highlighting the cases of two men held for over 18 months in nations they were never able to identify.

"The USA and other countries must end the practice of secret detention," said Sharon Critoph, a North America researcher at the London-based rights group.

"Not only do such conditions encourage torture and ill-treatment, but to be 'disappeared' from the face of the earth without knowing why or for how long is a crime under international law and is an experience no-one should have to go through."

Amnesty has spoken to two Yemeni men, currently in jail in their own country, who said they were held in US secret detention in solitary confinement for over one and a half years.

During this period they rarely saw daylight, were mostly shackled and in handcuffs and had no chance to communicate with their families or lawyers. For all this time they had no idea what country they were in.

Salah Nasser Salim Ali and Muhammad Faraj Ahmed Bashmilah, two friends living in Indonesia, said they were detained separately in 2003, Salah in Indonesia and Muhammad in Jordan.

Salah was flown to Jordan and after the pair was tortured in that country they were flown to unknown jails where they were held in solitary confinement without charge by US guards.

The men - neither of whom knew the other had also been detained - told Amnesty they were held in an underground facility which was several hours' flight from Jordan for six to eight months, before being taken to another place around three hours away by plane.

At both jails they were repeatedly interrogated by US personnel, before being transferred to Yemen.

There was no reason for their continued detention in Yemen save that this was part of a deal allowing them to be freed from US custody, Amnesty said.

"We fear that what we have heard from these two men is just one small part of the much broader picture of US secret detentions around the world," said Critoph.

"The US authorities must disclose the identities of all people who are being held in secret, where they're being held, and open these places up to international scrutiny."

- AFP