'Uruguay Would Become a US Prison'

We reported earlier on the request made by U.S. President Barack Obama to President Mujica through Secretary of State John Kerry to take in five prisoners from Guantanamo, a sad icon of the U.S. in Cuba for the detention of those accused of terrorism.

One of the promises of the Obama administration has been the full closure of the detention center, as requested by several human rights organizations from around the world. The president has asked several countries about the possibility of hosting the prisoners; in the specific case of Uruguay, a press release by the U.S. embassy in our country says that the selection was made in consideration of the “leadership role” of President José Mujica in the region.

In this regard, the Uruguayan president has already accepted the transfer of five prisoners to our country, with the condition that they do not cross the border for at least two years.

In the opinion of expert Miguel Langón, “there is no form of legal basis that allows this kind of prisoner transfer. It is a government-to-government agreement that should be judged based on international norms,” he said, referring to this request.

Meanwhile, he stated: “I don’t see Uruguay getting any kind of benefit from a humanitarian standpoint” and added that “it could cost the country a lot of money.”

“Uruguay would become a U.S. prison,” he stressed, and warned, “a special prison would have to be built to protect them and to prevent their escape.”

Langón said that with Obama’s request, “the U.S. would get rid of a problem.”

“If a prisoner from another country is sentenced it would be a double sentence,” he stated, adding that the prisoner “does not understand the language or customs” and also “lacks a visitation regime.”

Langón affirmed that the situation is “completely abnormal,” and concluded, “It is remarkable and I would like to know what it is all based on.”