Moscow, January 28 (RHC)-- Russia says the notorious U.S.-run Guantanamo prison in Cuba must be shut down while U.S. Pr.esident Barack Obama is still in office.

At a news conference in Moscow on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Commissioner for Human Rights Konstantin Dolgov said: "Our visit to Guantanamo has convinced us all over again that this so-called prison must be shut down at the earliest possible time."

The Russian official added that torture is being instituted at the prison, saying: "It is an installation where fundamental human rights are brazenly violated." And he noted that the 155 inmates currently imprisoned in Guantanamo are being deprived of basic human rights. Referring to the inhumane conditions in the prison, he said: "We have a resolute desire to shut this prison down before President Obama leaves office," emphasizing that U.S. authorities should "double efforts" to make this come true.

On January 17th, a delegation of high-ranking Russian officials visited the prison and talked to Ravil Mingazov, the only Russian citizen held at Guantanamo. Most of the Guantanamo prisoners have been held in the prison without charge or trial for more than a decade.

Last February, the prisoners began a hunger strike to protest against the harsh conditions of their incarceration. In the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama promised to close the prison, but never followed through on the pledge.