International Red Cross Criticizes U.S. Over Guant?namo Bay Detentions

The senior official of the International Red Cross (ICRC) in Washington criticized the U.S. government on October 9, 2003, citing practices at the Guant?namo Bay detention facility violated the Geneva Conventions regarding prisoners of war. According to Christophe Girod, the official at ICRC, over 600 detainees are being held without indicating the charges or a trial date. The ICRC has not been allowed to visit these detainees to evaluate their conditions of treatment or ensure that the prisoners? other legal rights are being respected. Girod said that the inhumane treatment has led to deterioration in many detainees? mental health, including attempts at suicide and severe depression. Girod?s public criticism is not characteristic of the ICRC, which generally attempts to resolve human rights concerns in private with the government in question.