Amnesty International / Reprieve Conference

The Global Struggle Against Torture: Guantánamo Bay, Bagram and Beyond, 19-21 November 2005

Amnesty International and Reprieve hosted the biggest ever gathering of former "war on terror" detainees, in a conference from 19-21 November, to condemn an increasingly globalised network of torture

Torture is simply unacceptable. So too is the personal cost of the counter-terrorism measures being deployed in the name of security and freedom.

The conference from 19-21 November 2005, “The Global Struggle Against Torture: Guantánamo Bay, Bagram and Beyond” revealed a subversive operation of secret detentions, renditions, ‘disappearances’, and diplomatic assurances that all violate basic human rights. Such practices fuel the practice of torture and create division, endangering us all.

Former ‘war on terror’ detainees, family members, and other activists demanded that governments not use terror to fight terror. The only way to achieve the security we all want and deserve is through respect for universal human rights, including respect for the absolute ban on torture; fair trials in which evidence obtained through torture is not admitted in court proceedings; and opening Guantánamo Bay and all other “war on terror” detention sites to international and independent scrutiny.

The detainees must be charged with a recognizable criminal offence and tried according to international standards of fairness. If not, the detainees must be released.

One conference participant exhorted those present and worldwide “to have patience and continue to fight the fight."