The U.S. government denied claims that several of the most dangerous Guantanamo Bay inmates are being held in inhumane conditions.
Defense Attorney James Connell, who represents alleged 9/11 funder Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, claimed that the secret section in which his client is held does not represent international standards established by the Geneva Conventions.
Connell says that he will file a motion challenging the conditions in which Ali is held.
The Defense Department categorically denied these claims on Monday in a statement provided to the Washington Free Beacon.
"The USG [United States Government] takes very seriously its obligation to provide humane care and custody of detainees, consistent with the Geneva Conventions," Lt. Col. J. Todd Breasseale, a Defense Department Spokesman, said in a statement.
While "Defense counsel have an obligation to zealously defend their clients," the living "conditions at all of our detention facilities meet or exceed the minimum standards set forth in Common Article 3" of the conventions, Breasseale said. "Structural issues at the High Value Detainee (HVD) facility do not constitute inhumane conditions of confinement."
Breassseale was referring to the secluded and highly fortified compound where high value and extremely dangerous inmates are held at Gitmo.
Also known as "Camp 7," the unlisted area holds inmates who were formally under CIA detention. These detainees became infamous for having to wear hoods over their heads during their transfer to other locations within the compound.
Defense attorney Connell reportedly spend 12 hours in the secluded area. While he is not permitted to reveal exactly what he saw, he referred to the conditions as "pretrial punishment," according to IOL News.
"The conditions of confinement do not meet the standards for preventative detention under the laws of war," he was quoted as saying.