Red Cross Says `Significant Problems' Remain at Guantanamo Bay

The U.S. prison camp for foreign fighters and terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, still suffers from inhumane conditions and treatment, the International Committee of the Red Cross said. "The ICRC remains concerned that significant problems regarding conditions and treatment at Guantanamo Bay have not yet been adequately addressed,'' the Geneva-based group said today in a statement on its Web site. Its findings came following a June visit to the prison. The agency didn't specify the problems and declined to confirm a New York Times report today that said the Red Cross had seen methods ``tantamount to torture'' of prisoners in Guantanamo. It was the first time the Red Cross, which has been visiting the prison since January 2002, suggested U.S. practices there amounted to torture, the Times said. The American military base holds about 600 foreigners, including many seized during the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks on America. [more]

• The administration's response to the Red Cross report was unsurprising. The military brushed off the Red Cross's complaints when they were made, just as it did at Abu Ghraib. On Tuesday, Lawrence Di Rita, a spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said the Red Cross had "their point of view," which was not shared by the Bush administration. The Red Cross's point of view, however, is reflected in the Geneva Conventions and in American law. [more]