Guantanamo Bay must be closed, PM is told

Sophie Goodchild

Tony Blair must work with the US to find alternatives to the notorious Guantanamo Bay so that the detention camp can be closed, says a report published today by an influential committee of MPs.

The report says the camp used to house terror suspects fails to achieve minimum British standards on access to exercise, recreation, legal support and to the outside world.

However, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, whose findings are based on a visit in September last year, refutes claims by campaigners that detainees are being abused, although their report concludes that abuse has “almost certainly” taken place in the past.

Eight British residents are believed to be detained there. This newspaper highlighted the plight of two British residents left languishing in the camp, despite not being charged with any offence. Bisher al-Rawi is said by his lawyers to be gradually “losing his mind”. His friend Jamil el Banna, who was seized five years ago by the CIA, is diabetic and losing his sight.

The MPs who visited the base said its detainees had to be dealt with transparently, but acknowledged that many continue to pose a threat to the UK.