WRITTEN QUESTION E-0236/02

Submission: To the Council and the Commission

28 January 2002

Subject: Concern for the 110 prisoners in Guantanamo

Global outrage has been sparked by the treatment of the 110 prisoners at the American base in Guantanamo, Cuba, who are believed to be linked to the Al-Qaeda network. Various international organizations and non-governmental organizations have protested both the inhumane conditions of their transportation and detention at the American base, as well as the legal status that governs them.

What measures does the Council intend to take to investigate the conditions of transportation and detention of prisoners in Cuba, to determine, by a competent court, the legal status of the detainees, particularly whether they are entitled to prisoner of war status, in accordance with the provisions of the Third Geneva Convention, and to ensure, in any case, absolute respect for human rights and humane treatment, in accordance with the Geneva Convention and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights?