The European Parliament recently passed a resolution supporting President Obama’s decision to close Guantánamo Bay within a year. The Member of the Parliament asked the U.S. to ensure that that rights and freedoms of the detainees are protected during the process.
In its resolution, the European Parliament said that there were three options for dealing with detainees. First, if the U.S. has sufficient evidence against detainees, then they should be tried without delay and upon conviction be imprisoned in the U.S. Second, detainees who are not charged but cannot return to their home country for fear of torture or prosecution should be given admittance to the U.S. Finally, detainees who are not charged and are willing to return to their home country should be allowed to return as soon as possible.
In addition, the resolution called for European cooperation with the U.S. The European Parliament asked that Member States be prepared to accept Guantánamo inmates in the E.U. upon request. However, the Parliament made clear that it believes primary responsibility for closing Guantánamo should rest with the United States.
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