Saudi Arabia's sole human rights watchdog said Tuesday it was banned by U.S. authorities from visiting Saudi prisoners at the Guantanamo base in Cuba.
The head of the Saudi National Organization for Human Rights, Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed Hajjar, said in a statement that the U.S. ambassador in Riyadh rejected a request by the group to send representatives to Cuba to meet the prisoners and inspect their detention conditions.
"We wanted to visit the detention camp to verify media reports about alleged violations of the rights of the prisoners and reported physical and psychological torture," the statement said.
"We wish to make sure that the Saudi prisoners are being granted all the human rights stipulated by international treaties," it added.
The statement also pressed the U.S. authorities to respect human rights charters and ensure that the prisoners are being granted their full rights.
Some 121 Saudis are believed to be detained at Guantanamo base. They were rounded up in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion, which toppled the regime of the Taliban and its allied al-Qaida network.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
