Bahraini held at "cruellest" Guantanamo Bay facility

Manama: The US lawyer representing the two Bahrainis held at Guantanamo prison yesterday said that he was deeply concerned about the effects of "incredibly harmful effects of solitary confinement" on his clients.

Joshua Colangelo-Bryan expressed his worries after he was told about the detention conditions of Eisa Al Murbati who was moved last December to Camp 6, the newest and "cruellest" facility at Guantanamo.

"Eisa's cell in Camp 6 has solid walls. There is no window ... and ... no natural light in the cell. There is a window in the door of the cell but it is difficult to see through and, at times, is covered," the lawyer said in a statement conveyed to Gulf News by rights activist Nabeel Rajab.

"According to Eisa, Camp 6 is much more difficult to deal with than the typical block in Camp Delta where it was possible to see other detainees through metal mesh walls. In fact, Camp 6 is more isolating even than the isolation blocks ... in Camp Delta," Colangelo-Bryan said.

According to the Red Cross, detainees used to spend 18 hours a day in communal areas before deaths of detainees changed the rule.

A prisoner in the United States would only be held in Camp 6 conditions if he is convicted of a serious crime and also a separate finding that the prisoner was too dangerous to be held with others, the lawyer said.

"Eisa has not been convicted of any crime and no individualised finding has been made that he needs to be held in Camp 6," Colangelo-Bryan said.

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