Congress denied access to prisoners.
There are 4 human rights groups who have requested of the Obama administration access to the prisoners held at Guantanamo, and have been denied access for months now.
We know that the President has ordered torture stopped. However in the trust but verify that those orders are being faithfully carried out, one can only ask why our own Congress and human rights groups are not allowed access to verify the conditions there.
It seems that the Pentagon has a new found respect for the Geneva Convention, and also fears for the very safety of the prisoners if members of U. S. Congress are allowed access to the prisoners.
Lawmakers Blast Obama "No-Visit" Gitmo Policy
A Pentagon official Thursday largely refused to answer lawmakers' questions about why members of Congress are prohibited from meeting with Guantanamo detainees, even as intelligence officials from China and elsewhere were allegedly allowed to visit Guantanamo and interrogate prisoners held there.
Allan Liotta, director of the Pentagon's Office of Detainee Policy, testified before House Foreign Affairs subcommittee Thursday, with the difficult task of explaining why the Pentagon allegedly allowed Chinese officials to interrogate several ethnic Chinese Uighur detainees at Guantanamo over a week-long visit in 2002, while it has barred any of the 220 U.S. senators and congressmen who have visited the island facility from meeting any of the detainees held there.
The Pentagon insists on keeping lawmakers away from Guantanamo detainees for fear the detainees may be harmed, Liotta explained.
"Without question, the single greatest reason to limit access to detainees is to provide for their personal safety, as well as that of the guards and other military personnel," he said.
The Pentagon policy is also built on a respect for the Geneva Conventions, Liotta testified, which requires the United States to shield detainees from "public curiosity." -
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And thank you to ABC news for properly using the word prisoners.
http://abcnews.go.com/...