More Taliban and al-Qaeda prisoners have arrived at the US Navy facility at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba, as a Red Cross team arrived at the base to inspect conditions and interview detainees.
A military transport plane brought another 30 prisoners from Afghanistan, raising to 110 the number of detainees at the isolated military outpost, amid growing international concern over their treatment. The prisoners are being held in outdoor cages.
The United States earlier insisted that the prisoners were illegitimate combatants, and not prisoners of war who had rights under the Geneva Convention.
The Red Cross team is likely to start visiting the prisoners tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has accused the US and some of its allies of abusing civil liberties in the name of the "war on terror". The report also charged countries, such as Russia, China, Egypt and Israel, of taking advantage of the tragedy to crack down on domestic political opponents.
The New York-based group's annual global report condemned the attacks in America in September. However, it also said that human rights must be respected in the response to the atrocities.
