U.S. confirms Red Cross can't see some detainees

[Judi Lynn]

U.S. confirms Red Cross can't see some detainees
By ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS

Friday, December 9, 2005 Posted at 1:06 PM EST

Associated Press

Geneva — The international Red Cross renewed on Friday its demand that it be allowed to visit all detainees in “undisclosed locations” after a senior State Department official confirmed the United States has yet to grant the agency access to all its terror suspects.

ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger was commenting on a remark Thursday by State Department legal adviser John Bellinger, who was asked by reporters during a visit to Geneva whether the ICRC has access to all other similar prisoners held by the United States elsewhere in the world.

"No," Mr. Bellinger replied, refusing to say any more.

Mr. Kellenberger noted that he has been urging top U.S. officials for at least two years to make sure the ICRC, which is assigned under the Geneva Conventions on warfare to check on conditions of detainees, gains access to all detainees held by the United States.
(snip)

He said the ICRC is already visiting “very many detainees” being held by the United States “in Guantanamo, in Afghanistan, in Iraq” but would not say where else the ICRC believes the United States is holding detainees.
(snip/...)

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