"Guantanamo must be shut down immediately" urged German GUE/NGL MEP Helmut Scholz in today's European Parliament debate on the closure of the Guantanamo bay prison camp and the resettlement of its detainees.

"High Representative Catherine Ashton must press the US government to close this chapter of shame and to give back Guantanamo to Cuba" he said, recalling that about 800 people from over 40 countries were imprisoned in Guantanamo in contempt of the Geneva Convention. "They were not officially accused; had no access to lawyers and no trial. Numerous killings, violations and humiliations took place" he concluded.

The Guantanamo bay prison was originally scheduled for closure by the Obama administration on January 22.

GUE/NGL PRESS:

Gianfranco Battistini + 32 475 64 66 28

Sonja Giese + 32 486 94 50 21

David Lundy + 32 485 50 58 12

www.guengl.eu

Gauche Unitaire Européenne / Gauche Verte Nordique

European United Left / Nordic Green Left