Russian President blasts Guantanamo camp

rian.ru ^ | 01/ 11/ 2007

[Tailgunner Joe]

MOSCOW, January 11 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's president Thursday harshly criticized the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, which marked its fifth anniversary today.

Located in the southwest Cuba, the camp has been used to hold and interrogate suspected terrorists captured in a Washington-led global antiterrorism campaign.

Human rights organizations in the U.S. and worldwide have been highly critical of the facility for holding prisoners without trial and over allegations of torture.

"People have been held at the camp without trial for five years, and those released have to defend themselves in national judicial systems," Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with human rights advocates.

Out of some 700 Guantanamo inmates, about 380, including Russian nationals, have been released. The president said he could not recall any charges ever been laid against the prisoners.

"I hope a camp similar to the one at Guantanamo never appears in Russia," Putin said.

[Peach]

I'm almost speechless that this is coming from Russia. ROFL

[Enterprise]

Oh that's good - LOL. No further needs be said.

[Mr. Mojo]

"I hope a camp similar to the one at Guantanamo never appears in Russia," Putin said.

Hilarious.

[stm]

This coming from a former KGB chief in the land of the Gulags.

What a freaking moronic hypocrite.

[cripplecreek]

"I hope a camp similar to the one at Guantanamo never appears in Russia,"

He didn't mention those camps in Russia's past. Apparently Joe Stalin's habit of erasing history hasn't gone away.

[Brad from Tennessee]

A colleague of mine visited Russia in 1999 at the invitation of the Russian government who sought his expertise on prison rehabilitation programs. When he returned he was in shock at the horrid living conditions. He said many of the facilities he visited did not have enough bunks for inmates who stood against a wall for 18 hours before sleeping in six-hour shifts. He said he met inmates, never convicted, who were waiting up to seven years before they ever got a trial. As a former communist, Putin is a professional liar.

[TRY ONE]

""People have been held at the camp without trial for five years...."

Yea, Putin would feed 'em Polonium 210 in the 1st month of captivity!

[SevenofNine]

Boy talking about calling cattle black LOL!

[stm]

It was probably mistranslated, those kind of things happen, you know. The correct translation would have been "I am shocked at the gracious accommodations at your detainee facilities at Gitmo. Come to Russia, we will teach you how to REALLY treat prisoners!"

[Mr J]

Putin and his colleagues would like Russia to reassert herself globally, but demographically it looks like the former Soviet Union's a bust. Is mass immigration the answer? Who will be the new Russians?

Stay tuned...

[Argus]

This Putin guy's a regular standup comedian.

[Shermy]

Story from 2003:

Russian Mothers Plead for Sons to Stay in Guantanamo

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I'm sure that Russian female reporter (shot to death) and that guy who was poisoned in London will appreciate Putin speaking out against our horrible human rights abuses.

[snarks_when_bored]

Putin ought first to pluck out the Polonium-210 from his own eye.

[Peach]

I believe that! And some of the jihadists who we determine aren't a danger we want to return to their home countries and they don't want to go!

[bmwcyle]

A Russian gulag or CAMP

[Ben Chad]

Calling cattle black IS funny.

[PzLdr]

Coming from a guy who made his bones in the KGB, that's too funny for words.

[elcid1970]

Putin-kegebun lecturing the free-est nation on earth about prisoner camps.

Of the same moral value as if said from Dzherzhinsky, Beria, or Abakumov.

Russia, the shadow hangs over you yet!