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Leading human rights organizations have urged more European states to accept detainees held at the US detention centre at Guantaacute;namo who cannot be returned to their countries of origin for fear of torture or other human rights violations.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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On the eighth anniversary of the first transfers to Guantaacute;namo, the organisations urged other countries, including Germany, Finland, Sweden and Luxembourg to do more to aid the transfer of roughly 50 such men who remain trapped after years of unlawful detention. br /
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ldquo;Although several countries have already led the way, it is disappointing that only a few European governments have stepped forward to help those in need of protection,rdquo; said Sharon Critoph, Campaigner on the US at Amnesty International ldquo;Amongst those governments which have failed to assist are those previously most vocal in calling for Guantaacute;namo to be closed.rdquo; br /
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Reprieve, the Center for Constitutional Rights and former Guantaacute;namo detainee Moazzam Begg of the organization Cage Prisoners are today beginning a tour across Europe urging more states to offer the men a safe haven. The tour will be hosted by Amnesty Internationalrsquo;s national sections. br /
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These men remain detained for the sole reason that they have no safe place to go. They have been essentially abandoned at Guantaacute;namo. The plight of these men poses one of the most significant obstacles to the closure of the detention centre. br /
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A number of European states have already taken the commendable step of offering a safe haven to such detainees, in line with the stated aims of the EU-US joint agreement on the closure of Guantaacute;namo. These include France, Ireland, Portugal, Hungary and Belgium.On this important anniversary, human rights groups are urging others to follow suit. br /
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The men come from countries such as Libya, Tunisia, Syria, China and Russia, where they will be at serious risk of torture or other human rights violations if returned.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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The US government has been seeking safe countries willing to offer these men an opportunity to rebuild their lives and is primarily responsible for finding solutions for all those held at Guantaacute;namo. br /
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The international community which has repeatedly called for the detention centrersquo;s closure can however help in realizing this aim by offering a safe haven to some of these men. br /
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Guantaacute;namo remains a stark symbol of injustice.nbsp; Human rights groups have expressed concern that the detention facility will remain open past 22 January 2010, the date by which US President Barack Obama had pledged to close it.nbsp; Unless more European countries step forward now to help, some of the most vulnerable detainees remain at serious risk of forcible return to abuse. br /
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»The last decade saw the erosion of the rule of law and international respect for human rights. Guantaacute;namo stands for all that went wrong and it must now be closedrsquo;rsquo; said Sophie Weller of the Center for Constitutional Rights.lsquo;lsquo;The men who remain detained because they lack a safe haven continue, every day to pay the human price for delay and inaction in achieving this aim.rdquo; br /
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ldquo;Many European governments have condemned the ongoing detention of prisoners at Guantaacute;namo Bay. Now they can do something about it,rdquo; said Clive Stafford Smith, Director of Reprieve. ldquo;Actions really do speak louder than words in this case; its time to turn the rhetoric into reality and get Guantaacute;namo closed as soon as possible.rdquo; br /
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The human rights organisations welcomed the actions of those countries which have already come forward to assist ndash; such as France, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, Hungary – but expressed disappointment that others had not taken concrete steps in line with the EU-US Joint Statement on the Closure of Guantaacute;namo Bay. The statement, issued on 16 June 2009, expressed the readiness of certain EU Member States to assist with the reception of former detainees on a case-by-case basis. br /
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Nearly seven months since this statement was issued, only seven former detainees have been welcomed into Europe as free men. A further ten have been sent to Palau and Bermuda, and two have been transferred to Italy for possible trial. Approximately 50 more still need protection.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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The tour will include visits to a number of European countries – including Luxembourg, Sweden and Germany – which could provide safe and appropriate reception for detainees from Guantaacute;namo, giving them the chance to rebuild their lives. br /
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The organizations will also be calling on government officials in countries which have already accepted detainees to share expertise, encouragement and examples of good practice with their counterparts in countries which may be considering following suit. br /
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There are 198 prisoners in total still held in Guantaacute;namo.

img src=http://www.amnesty.org/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/imagecache/previewsize/sites/impact.amnesty.org/files/PUBLIC/Regions/ECA/germany-berlin-wall-100.jpg alt= title= /br/Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin wall, European governments must act urgently to tackle human rights abuses against migrants, asylum seekers, detainees and minorities, Amnesty International said on Friday. br /
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quot;While the fall of the Berlin wall symbolized the opening of borders, the signature response of Europe now to the challenges of migration is to turn the continent into a fortress,quot; said Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International. br /
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quot;People fleeing poverty, violence or persecution in other parts of the world have literally been pushed back into the sea.quot; br /
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In May this year, the lives and safety of hundreds of migrants and asylum-seekers on three vessels in the Mediterranean were placed at risk first by a squabble between the Italian and Maltese authorities over their obligations to respond to maritime distress calls, and then by the Italian government’s decision to send them to Libya, without assessing their protection needs. br /
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European governments must also do more to investigate allegations of torture, ill-treatment and wrongful detention during the US-led war on terror, Amnesty International said. br /
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quot;In the new, post Berlin Wall Europe, human rights are under attack again. This time they are victim to states’ claims that even the most fundamental human rights, including to be free from torture, must be sacrificed in order to counter terrorist threats,quot; Nicola Duckworth said. br /
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In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Europe was host to secret prisons run by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where detainees were victims of enforced disappearance, held in conditions that amounted to torture, and were subjected to abusive interrogation techniques.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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Revelations emerging last August have prompted calls to the Polish and Lithuanian authorities to investigate allegations that in detention facilities on their territories quot;high valuequot; detainees were held and questioned in secret by the CIA until late 2005. br /
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But not all of today’s challenges regarding human rights in Europe are new. br /
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quot;Shamefully, the fruits of 20 years of economic growth and greater political unity since the fall of the Berlin Wall have not been shared equally by all. Serious and deep-rooted problems of racism and discrimination remain at the heart of modern Europe,quot; Nicola Duckworth said br /
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One of the most profound illustrations of systemic discrimination in Europe is against Roma, who remain largely excluded from public life in all countries. br /
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Roma in Eastern Europe were often the first to be excluded from employment as state owned enterprises were privatised. Unlawful forced evictions are driving them deeper into poverty. br /
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In some countries such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Romani children continue to be overrepresented in schools for pupils with mental disabilities, and to be segregated in Roma-only schools and classes offering substandard education. The authorities have failed to take effective and unambiguous measures to eliminate racial segregation in education.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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And 20 years after the fall of the Berlin wall, Amnesty International still recognizes as Prisoners of Conscience journalists and human rights activists arrested for seeking to exercise their fundamental freedoms of expression, association and religion in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Russia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.nbsp; nbsp;br /
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quot;In Berlin today, there’s little left of the physical wall that 20 years ago was a symbol of division and repression. There still continue to be, though, walls making some people more equal than others when it comes to the enjoyment of the full spectrum of human rights,quot; Nicola Duckworth said. br /
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quot;However, in spite of threats, intimidation and detention, human rights defenders across Europe, fuelled by the energy that brought down the Berlin wall, continue to strive for the vision of a region where all human rights are upheld for all.quot;