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"Of the 780 prisoners who have ever passed through this center, 429 committed no hostile action against the U.S. or its allies and only 12 have been charged with crimes":chancellor Rodriguez
On the 20th anniversary of the first detainees' arrival to the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay on Tuesday, the Cuban government called for the closure of this atrocious prison, which is illegally located in its national territory.
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"Of the 780 prisoners who have ever passed through the base, 429 detainees committed no hostile action against the United States or its allies and only 12 of them have been charged with crimes,” Foreign Affairs Minister Bruno Rodriguez recalled and condemned that many of the prisoners are systematically tortured.
He also denounced that seven inmates whom prison officers killed were reported dead for committing suicide. “This was the case of Saudi teenager Yasir Talal al Zahrani who was registered dead in 2006 in such detention center due to alleged suicide, but his family insists he didn’t kill himself.
NGO and human rights organizations have warned that the prison’s existence delegitimizes the United States and prompts it to replicate similar ones in other countries.
It's outstanding what our friends in Australia���� are carrying out. After 1 week of activities, they have covered almost 2000 km with more than 40 participants and raised more than 3000$ so far.#SolidarityInMotion#Aus2CubaWithLove pic.twitter.com/yzk4wvxXJk
— Ivan Ernesto (@IvanErnestoBar1) January 9, 2022
American officials have also rejected the high expenses of the center, which is estimated to cost US$540 million a year, or nearly US$14 million per prisoner, far from the US$80,000 a prisoner costs in one of America’s maximum-security detention centers.
The last four U.S presidents, except for Donald Trump, have openly declared their intention to close Guantanamo Bay. However, harsh criticism from far-right senators and this decision's high political cost have prevented them from keeping their promises.
"A generation of conflicts has passed, and the Guantanamo prison remains open affronting our justice system and the basic principles of the rule of law," Democratic Party (CR) senator Dick Durbin lamented.
Cuba: Safe return to the schools. pic.twitter.com/5fOpePD7Or
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) November 15, 2021
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