WASHINGTON - June 23 - Dalia Hashad, Amnesty International USA's United States Program Director, made the following statement in response to the third anniversary of President Bush's executive order to detain and label Qatari national Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri as an "enemy combatant" in the United States:

"Mr. al-Marri has been detained for over four years - including three years as an 'enemy combatant' - and is the only person now held with that designation in the United States.

Amnesty International is concerned that Mr. al-Marri remains in detention without charge or trial in a military prison in Charleston, South Carolina, in extreme solitary confinement, often shackled, in a cell measuring approximately 6 feet by 10 feet. The totality of his conditions of detention amounts to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in violation of international law. Amnesty International is disturbed by reports that Mr. al-Marri has not received adequate treatment for his deteriorating mental and physical health.

Amnesty International calls on the U.S. government to release Mr. al-Marri if he is not charged with a recognizable criminal offense and brought to trial without further delay in full accordance with international law and standards. In addition, immediate steps must be taken to improve his conditions of detention and provide him with appropriate medical and psychological care and access to his family members.

"The detention regime created by this ambiguous status of 'enemy combatant,' including indefinite detention without judicial oversight and prolonged solitary confinement, creates the legal equivalent of Guantanamo on the mainland."

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