'US running secret prisons'

2004-06-18 13:46

Washington - The United States is holding suspects in the war on terrorism in more than two dozen detention centres around the world, at least half of which operate in total secrecy, a human rights group charged on Thursday.

In a report called "Ending Secret Detentions," Human Rights First said that secrecy surrounding the detention centres makes "inappropriate detention and abuse not only likely, but inevitable".

"The United States government is holding prisoners in a secret system of off-shore prisons beyond the reach of adequate supervision, accountability, or law," said Deborah Pearlstein, a director of the rights group.

The report listed 17 detention centres that have been officially disclosed by the government, including two in Afghanistan, 13 in Iraq, one at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and one in Charleston, South Carolina.

The report labelled as "suspected" 13 other detention centres around the world that are not acknowledged officially but whose existence it said had been reported by multiple sources.

Seven suspected detention centres on the list were in Afghanistan, two in Pakistan, one in the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, one in Jordan, and two aboard US amphibious assault ships.

- AFP