Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-09-Speech-2-243"
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"en.20040309.8.2-243"2
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"Mr President, I was surprised to hear a few minutes ago that Guantanamo Bay was a centre for English language teaching. That is quite extraordinary because the holding of the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay runs contrary to human rights. The prisoners have no access to an independent lawyer, and we do not know who exactly is being held or what precise charges are being brought against them. Under such conditions, there is reason to be concerned about the detainees’ mental health.
Without the prior assistance of an independent lawyer, we can say that there is an obvious risk of negotiation to reach an agreement and doing so in order to get the charges reduced. If that is the case, detainees will be able to choose to plead guilty, even if they are not, in order to escape the death penalty. It is clear that President Bush and the US leadership want show trials with confessions because it is presidential election year.
The European Parliament’s position must therefore be intransigent against terrorism, but also intransigent on respect for international law. It is unacceptable to sentence someone before a verdict has been reached. That is what is happening here, sometimes even in this Chamber. We must all therefore denounce this legal black hole in which the detainees find themselves.
We can all remember the horror of what happened, but we do not want terrorism to win and we must demand fair treatment for all and show that we defend values that respect the law. Ladies and gentlemen, that is the best means we all have of combating barbarity."@en1
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