Guantanamo Prison's Seventh Anniversary Must Be The Last- Liz Lynne

3.00.00pm GMT Sat 10th Jan 2009

LibDem MEP Liz Lynne has said that she hopes that the seventh anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay prison on Sunday will mark the last year the prison remains open.

The West Midlands MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament's Sub- Committee on Human Rights and a long time campaigner against the Camp Delta prison, said she looked forward to seeing incoming US President Barack Obama uphold his campaign promise to shut down the prison.

Obama has said that those detained at the prison will finally be able to face a fair trial, or, where there is no evidence against them, be released.

Speaking today Liz said:

"Seven years is far too long for this appalling breach of human rights to have continued. I sincerely hope that the President-elect will ensure that the Guantanamo bay prison is closed as one of his very first acts upon being sworn in.

"We are all agreed on the importance of fighting terrorism, but we cannot surrender the basic human rights and values of Europe and America. If we do the terrorists will have won.

"It is also important that those who are released from Guantanamo, who have no case to answer in front of a court, are given the right to apply for asylum within European Member States."

ENDS