Detainees held for years at the US Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba are showing signs of “rapid ageing”, a senior official of the International Committee of the Red Cross has warned.

“We call on the US administration and Congress to work together to find appropriate and sustainable solutions to address these issues,” said Patrick Hamilton, head of the ICRC delegation to the US and Canada. “Urgent action should be taken,” he added.

Hamilton’s comments came after he visited Guantanamo in March after a 20-year hiatus. “It is surprising that those detained today still suffer from signs of aging, exacerbated by the cumulative effects of their experiences and years spent in detention,” he said.

George W. Bush established Guantanamo Bay

He demanded that the prisoners be given adequate mental and physical health and be allowed frequent contact with their families.

A Pentagon spokesman said the department was “currently reviewing the report.”

Former US President George W. Bush established Guantanamo Bay in 2002 to house suspected foreign terrorists after the 2001 hijacked airstrikes on New York and the Pentagon killed nearly 3,000 people.

The detainee became a symbol of America’s transgressions in the “war on terror” due to harsh interrogation methods that critics said amounted to torture.

When Democratic President Joe Biden took office in 2021, there were 40 inmates. The Biden administration says it wants to close the facility, but has not presented a plan to do so.

Two brothers returned to Pakistan in February, and 30 remain in custody. Hamilton urged Washington to resolve the fate of the prisoners and called for action to deport those who deserved it to their countries.

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