Guantánamo Bay detainees continue to face ‘inhuman’ treatment, U.N. investigator finds - NPR

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, spoke Monday about her new report on the treatment of current and former detainees. She said she also met with the victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

It was the first official visit of a U.N. expert to Guantánamo, the group said.

Though Ní Aoláin said detainees who have spent years at the facility continue to be saddled with fair trial and due process violations, she acknowledged that conditions at the detention center had improved in recent years and praised the Biden administration for its public vows to close what’s become known as Gitmo.

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The report comes as plea talks for the alleged masterminds behind the 9/11 terror attacks remain stuck in limbo and more than two years after Biden officials said they aimed to close Gitmo. Though the administration has transferred several detainees in recent years, the detention facility remains in operation.

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Thirty men remain detained at Guantánamo, 19 of whom have never been charged with a crime, Ní Aoláin said.

Her extensive report found that “near-constant surveillance, forced cell extractions, [and] undue use of restraints” are still present in the detention facility, as well as other procedures that violate human rights. She added that many detainees who were tortured have not received “independent, holistic, or adequate” rehabilitation.

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