Supreme Court Allowed US to Torture Gitmo Prisoners 'With Impunity'

The US Supreme Court decision preventing former detainees from filing lawsuits for abuses suffered at the Guantanamo Bay allowed the United States to torture prisoners without fear of facing legal consequences.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Supreme Court decision preventing former detainees from filing lawsuits for abuses suffered at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility shows that the United States can torture captives without fear of facing any legal consequences, civil rights attorney David Remes told Sputnik on Monday.

“It’s saddening but not surprising. There just seems to be no recourse for foreign nationals we tortured in the war on terror,” Remes said. “What you’re left with is the United States can torture with impunity.”

Remes, who represents eighteen Guantanamo detainees, accused the Supreme Court of “washing its hands” by leaving intact a lower court decision, and refusing to even hear an appeal filed by a Syrian national who was allegedly tortured for seven years.

“It’s the latest illustration of our inability to come to terms with the damage we did to people in the war on terror. No one is being prosecuted. No one is being fined. It’s just appalling,” Remes added.

Everybody has been let “off of the hook,” according to Remes because of memoranda that legitimized the use of torture crafted by former US Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo during the George W. Bush administration.

The Guantanamo Bay detention facility was created in 2002 following the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Since its opening, the military prison has been criticized by human rights advocates for alleged inhumane conditions, including the use of torture.

In 2009, US President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order to shut down the detention facility. Although the number or prisoners has been cut in half, 122 detainees still remain there.