Former Guantanamo prison chief Geoffrey Miller was summoned Thursday by a French court over the use of torture on two inmates, which may open the door to further prosecutions from the infamous U.S. detention center.
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Two former Guantanamo detainees and French citizens, Nizar Sassi and Mourad Benchellali, filed a complaint in a French court against the former prison chief, which lead to a probe into his actions.
“The door has opened for civilian and military officials to be prosecuted over international crimes committed in Guantanamo,” said their lawyer William Bourdon. “This decision can only... lead to other leaders being summoned.”
The two men were arrested by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where they were held from the end of 2001 until 2004 when Sassi was released and 2005 when Benchellalil was released. They were both then sent back to France.
The two former inmates have accused Miller of “an authorized and systematic plan of torture and ill-treatment on persons deprived of their freedom without any charge and without the basic rights of any detainee,” according to a report submitted to a French judge last year.
The prison has for years been criticized by human rights groups for its use of torture on inmates and holding people for extended periods without charge or trial.
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Conditions became more severe in 2002 when then President George W. Bush approved “enhanced interrogation techniques,” which include placing detainees in stress positions, striping them, isolating them for extended periods of time and exposing them to extreme heat and cold, in a so-called crack down on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks.
Miller, who is now retired, was commander of the prison from 2002 to 2004 and so “bears individual criminal responsibility for the war crimes and acts of torture inflicted on detainees in US custody at Guantanamo,” according to the court report.
President Barack Obama has promised to close the prison, however it remains open and still houses over 100 detainees.
Watch teleSUR’s interview with Michael Ratner, U.S. lawyer who has represented a number of Guantanamo detainees