[JURIST] Five special rapporteurs making up the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention [official website] in the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights [official website] on Thursday called on the US [press release] to set a date for closing its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive]. In a statement, the group urged the US "to develop a detailed plan of action, with timeframes, for the closure of Guantanamo Bay," while consulting the international community.

In February, the same group of UN human rights experts issued a report [PDF text; press release] calling on the US to close the facility immediately [JURIST report], which the White House dismissed as a "discredit to the UN." The group refused an invitation to observe conditions at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST report] last year because the Pentagon would not allow members to interview detainees [JURIST report]. Reuters has more.