Amnesty hand Obama list of demands

Obama claims victory

Thursday, 06, Nov 2008 01:00

Amnesty International are calling fvor an early meeting with president elect Barack Obama so convince him to end the US government's violation of human rights around the world.

The group's demands include the closure of Guantanamo Bay detention centre, a ban on torture through executive order, and an investigation on human rights abuses the US committed during George Bush's war on terror.

"President-elect Obama must make a clean break from the US government's detention policies and practices adopted by the previous administration," said Amnesty International secretary general Irene Khan.

"Millions of people, politicians and religious leaders in the US and across the world are demanding these changes. Now is the time to make them happen."

"The US government's policies during the past eight years have violated the basic rights of thousands of individuals, damaged the United States' credibility on human rights issues and strained diplomatic relations," Amnesty International USA executive director Larry Cox said.

"With the entire world watching, and the election of a new president and Congress, it's time to commit the United States to its international obligations and ensure that the rule of law will be the foundation for its policies."

On Tuesday night Mr Obama beat John McCain for the presidency of the US with 349 electoral college votes to 162. He will start his four-year term as the president on January 20th 2009.

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp has been opened for almost seven years as a prison holding suspected terrorists.

The detention camp is notorious world-wide for allegedly torturing terror suspects.

Those being held there include British resident Binyam Mohamed whose case home secretary Jacqui Smith recently announced will be investigated by the attorney general.