North urged to take Guantanamo prisoners

The North was urged today to provide a home for prisoners freed from Guantanamo Bay.

Amnesty International called on First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness to make clear to London and Washington they were ready to help.

"Northern Ireland is accustomed to asking the United States for assistance with our political problems," said Amnesty director Patrick Corrigan.

"The First and Deputy First Minister should now assist President Obama in his moves to close the camp by offering humanitarian protection to vulnerable prisoners who need a place to go."

He pointed to the considerable experience the North had with prisoner release and reintegration following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Some 60 men are know to be at risk of torture or persecution if returned to their home countries, said Amnesty, and while the US may permit some to be admitted to the American mainland the remaining detainees were likely to need humanitarian protection in other countries upon their release.

The North would be following the lead of the Republic, said Amnesty, who pointed to a recent promise on US TV by Taoiseach Brian Cowan that Ireland would take "a proportionate amount, a small number" of freed prisoners.

Mr Corrigan said: "We call on the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to follow the lead of the Taoiseach, in making clear to Downing Street and the White House that Northern Ireland stands ready to be part of the humanitarian solution to closing Guantanamo Bay."

He pointed to several EU states - Spain, Portugal, Italy and France - who had already indicated a willingness to take some detainees released from the prison camp in Cuba.

"We very much welcome the commitment made by the Taoiseach and we now ask that the commitment be echoed in Northern Ireland where we have some experience of prisoner release and reintegration.

"Amnesty International is willing to assist in making this a reality in any way that we can."

Mr Corrigan said people needed to be very clear about the prisoners that he was talking about.

"They are not suspects of any kind. These men, approximately 60 in number, have been cleared for release. The US government and military has accepted that these men are not a threat, and never were," he added.

Those that remained in captivity were from countries like China and Uzbekistan and could not be sent home because of the human rights record of those countries, he said.

Sending them home "exposes them to further torture , imprisonment and even death", said Mr Corrigan.

There was no instant response from the North's leaders.