Torture survivor Juan Mendez looks back at his harrowing experience, and the challenges facing the global fight against torture, in his role as the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Torture.
In January 2009, Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the notorious detention centre at Guantánamo Bay. Five years on, detainees remain uncharged and subjected to waterboarding, prolonged isolation and force feeding.
Detainees eligible for release from Guantanamo Bay are caught in limbo: the US won’t accept them and foreign countries are reluctant to take in refugees who have been incarcerated with terrorists, writes Scott Fitzsimmons.
The more than 100 detainees on hunger strike at the detention facility have said that they do not trust military doctors who engaged in painful force-feeding.
Obama said there was no evidence to indicate when, who and how chemical weapons were used in Syria as he spoke to the media about Guantanamo Bay and Russian relations earlier today.
Irish peace groups have outlined the “aviation, human rights, and international humanitarian law” which are being violated by the use of the airport by foreign military.
The notorious detention centre has now been open for ten years and, with indefinite military detention now enshrined in US law, hope is fading that it will be closed down as pledged.
The price of keeping a prisoner at the notorious detention centre is more than 30 times the cost of imprisoning a person in the United States mainland.
THE UK IS set to trial a ban of TV advertisements for junk food before 9pm in a bid to tackle the country’s obesity crisis.
A total ban will also be trialled on advertising unhealthy food online, but proposals to put calorie labels on pints of beer and glasses of wine were scrapped.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has recommitted to tough action on obesity after his brush with death when he contracted Covid-19 last year.
Health campaigners in the UK have praised the “landmark” reforms that would put tight controls on the promotion of foods high in sugar, salt and fat.
What do you think: Should junk food ads be banned in Ireland?
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