A United Nations human rights panel is urging the United States to immediately release long-term Guantánamo Bay prisoner Abu Zubaydah, warning the systemic detention of people at the military prison may constitute crimes against humanity. 

United Nations, May 3 (RHC)-- A United Nations human rights panel is urging the United States to immediately release long-term Guantánamo Bay prisoner Abu Zubaydah, warning the systemic detention of people at the military prison may constitute crimes against humanity. 

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released its findings after reviewing several Guantánamo cases over the past 15 years.  The panel’s report also condemned Afghanistan, Thailand, Poland, Morocco and Lithuania, where Zubaydah was held at several CIA black sites before being transferred to Guantánamo, for being “jointly responsible for the torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of Mr. Zubaydah.” 

Zubaydah was first taken into custody in 2002 in Pakistan and has been held at Guantánamo without charge since 2006.   He was waterboarded over 80 times by the CIA.