NEWS:
British Residents:
Shaker Aamer’s American lawyer Ramzi Kassem has obtained new information which sheds light on the abuse his client continues to face. Declassified notes from a January meeting between the two men show that Mr Aamer was held in solitary confinement from July to December 2011 as punishment, during which time he was confined to his cell 24 hours a day and subjected to sleep deprivation techniques. In the two months prior to his lawyer’s visit (December 2011 and January 2012), he was subject to beatings, for which he says he did not receive adequate medical treatment.
More on this news: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/119282
Spectacle Films has made a new short documentary (18 minutes) on Shaker Aamer’s plight. This interesting and informative film (recommended viewing!) can be viewed at:
http://www.spectacle.co.uk/projects_page.php?id=485
Andy Worthington has written an update on the case of former Bournemouth resident Ahmed Belbacha, who like Shaker Aamer, remains at Guantánamo Bay, over five years after having been cleared for release and never having faced any charges: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/05/20/ahmed-belbacha-an-algerian-refugee-in-guantanamo-has-been-waiting-for-a-new-home-since-2007/
Guantánamo Bay:
An American company involved in the building of the prison units and cages at Guantánamo Bay has been shortlisted among other contractors for a £1.5 billion contract to run policing facilities in the West Midlands and Surrey, as part of the Coalition government’s first attempt to privatise this key public facility. Kellogg Brown & Root, which was previously owned by Halliburton, winning major Pentagon contracts after 9/11, is part of one of the bidding consortiums. Its former chief executive is former US vice-president and advocate of the use of torture, Dick Cheney.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/may/03/guantanamo-contractor-shortlist-uk-police-services
Abdul Aziz Naji, an Algerian prisoner released from Guantánamo Bay and forcedly returned to Algeria in 2010, has been denied bail by an Algerian judge even though he met all the bail criteria, and remains in jail. Although cleared of all charges by the US, Mr Naji was convicted in January this year and sentenced to a three-year sentence on the charge of membership of a terrorist organisation abroad, based on allegations made while he was held at Guantánamo; according to his lawyers at Reprieve, no new evidence was brought against him or any proving the charge. Prisoner conditions in Algerian prisons are notorious and Mr Naji’s health complications suffered as a result of US detention are further exacerbated by his current situation. His lawyers plan to reapply for bail as well as appeal his conviction.
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_05_02_ex_guantanamo_aziz_denied_bail_Algeria/
The military tribunal of Khalid Sheikh Mohamed and four other men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001 started on 5 May amid much controversy. President Barack Obama, starting his presidential re-election campaign at around the same time, had suspended military tribunals and promised civilian trials for Guantánamo prisoners when he assumed the presidency in 2009. Despite changes having been made to the system, evidence tainted by torture will still be admitted – most of the defendants have been subject to waterboarding, among other forms of torture – and national security sensitive material is being kept closed. The defendants refused to answer the judge’s questions. The next hearing in this court case will take place in early August.
A good analysis of the proceedings is provided by Tom Parker of Amnesty USA: http://blog.amnestyusa.org/us/the-elephant-in-the-courtroom/
Since this hearing, at which the men were all formally charged, the military commission board is now considering whether it should hear their cases separately. The judge has ordered prosecutors to file submissions providing reasons why the cases should not be heard separately. He did not state how many separate cases he may consider. The prosecution usually prefers to have cases heard together. This is the first time joined cases are being heard at Guantánamo Bay.
Al-Jazeera has issued a new documentary about the use of music as a form of torture at Guantánamo Bay, featuring the composer Christopher Cerf, who composed the theme song of the popular children’s TV programme Sesame Street and at least 200 other songs for the show. His songs were played loudly and incessantly as a form of abuse of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. Mr Cerf was reportedly shocked to learn of how his music was used. The documentary can be watched on Al-Jazeera or online at http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeeraworld/2012/05/201253072152430549.html
Extraordinary rendition:
Lloyds Bank, which is 40%-owned by the UK taxpayer, is one of a number of City firms under pressure for its investment in an American company allegedly involved in rendition flights. Lloyds has an £8.5 million investment in CSC (Computer Sciences Corporation) which is accused of helping the CIA to organise the flight schedules for rendition flights. Reprieve has asked CSC investors to pressure it into taking a public stand against torture. CSC has not responded to a letter from the legal charity but Lloyds and other investors have demanded that CSC address these allegations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/may/06/lloyds-computer-sciences-corporation-cia-rendition
On 16 May, the European Court of Human Rights started to hear the first case brought before it concerning extraordinary rendition. Following failed attempts to prosecute the American and German authorities before the US, German and Spanish courts, the current case is being brought by Khaled El-Masri, a German national, against Macedonia for its role in his kidnap and torture. In 2003, while on holiday in the country, Mr El Masri was kidnapped and detained illegally in the country for three weeks before being handed over to the CIA, which flew him to Afghanistan where he was tortured for months before being released. Realising that it was a case of mistaken identity, Mr El Masri was flown to Albania where he was released and left on a roadside by his captors. The case is being brought for a breach of his right to liberty and freedom from torture. Other countries are likely to be prosecuted too as part of this case and as more evidence is revealed, implicating countries such as Germany.
Other cases are pending against other Council of Europe states, including Lithuania and Poland by prisoners held at secret jails in those countries.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/16/macedonia-trial-human-rights-abuses-911?newsfeed=true
A new academic project has been started by Dr Ruth Blakeley at the University of Kent and Dr Sam Raphael at Kingston University called the Rendition Project http://www.therenditionproject.org.uk/index.html This project aims to bring together all the available public data on extraordinary renditions, including on individual cases, the countries involved, issues and cases, providing an extensive wealth of information and a new understanding of the CIA’s extralegal programme.
On 29 May, almost a week after originally planned, the government published the draft Justice and Security Bill. Although climbing down over plans for secret inquests, the government is keen to press ahead with plans to ensure that cases such as those brought by Binyam Mohamed and former Guantánamo prisoners against the government for its alleged involvement in their rendition and torture are never brought again. The latter case ended in an out-of-court settlement. The proposals, to use closed courts and secret evidence in the alleged course of protecting “national security” seriously threaten to undermine the English legal system as it has existed for centuries and have already faced considerable opposition.
LGC Activities:
The May “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was held on 4th May and was attended by 7 people. The June demonstration is on Thursday 7 June at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy and 1.15-2.15pm at Marble Arch: http://www.facebook.com/events/231402770302301/
The London Guantánamo Campaign spoke at the Stop The War Coalition “No to NATO!” demonstration on Saturday 19 May, attended by several hundred people. We also joined the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign at a stall to raise awareness and collect signatures on the Shaker Aamer e-petition.
Tuesday 26 June marks International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The LGC will be holding a vigil to mark that date and show solidarity at 6-8pm in Trafalgar Square (north side). We invite you to join us: http://www.facebook.com/events/176774015784254/ We will need help with this event so if you can help out – planning or on the day – please let us know. More details shortly.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
LGC Newsletter – April 2012
British Residents:
To greet MPs returning from their Easter break, campaigners from the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (SSAC), the LGC and others held a lively and colourful protest outside Parliament on Monday 16 April calling for the release and return to the UK of the last Londoner in Guantánamo Bay, Shaker Aamer. Around 30 people joined the demonstration held between 1 and 3pm. MPs Jane Ellison and John McDonnell also joined the protesters briefly as did journalist Andy Worthington, who spoke briefly as well. Following the protest, John McDonnell tabled the following Early Day Motion 2955 in support of the SSAC and calling for further action for Shaker Aamer to return to his family in the UK: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/2955 It has been signed by 12 MPs so far; if your MP has not signed, please contact them and ask them to add their name. You can find them at www.theyworkforyou.com
The e-petition calling on the Foreign Office to secure the release of Shaker Aamer, started on the tenth anniversary of his illegal detention at Guantánamo Bay, has now been replaced, with the same wording, by the following e-petition:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33133 If you signed the previous e-petition (before 20 April), please sign the new petition as well. It has been extended to a one-year deadline, of 20 April 2013, on which date, if more than 100,000 signatures are collected, it will trigger a debate in parliament on the issue. To sign, you need to be resident in the United Kingdom. You do not need to be of voting age.
Reports on the 16 April demonstration:
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/04/18/calling-for-the-release-of-shaker-aamer-from-guantanamo-the-petition-a-protest-an-early-day-motion-and-a-twitter-campaign/
http://london.indymedia.org/articles/12088
Guantánamo Bay:
Two Chinese Uighur prisoners were released to El Salvador on 19 April, the first two prisoners to be released in over a year. Their release, along with other Uighur prisoners, had been ordered several years ago; however, they cannot be released to China, where they are members of a persecuted ethnic group and would face further persecution and torture. The two men have been identified by their lawyers as Ahmed Mohamed and Abdul Razak. Several other Uighur prisoners have been sent to other safe third countries such as the Bahamas and Palau, where they are likely to resettle permanently. This brings the prisoner number to 169.
The American government has made a formal application to the Canadian government for the return of Canadian citizen Omar Khadr. Pending approval by the Canadian government, which has consistently dragged its heels over Mr Khadr’s return to the country, he could be released by the end of next month. The only person to have been convicted of war crimes committed as a minor since World War II, Omar Khadr, now 25, has been held for the past ten years. Convicted in October 2010 under a secret plea deal, he was to be released to complete his sentence in Canada. Upon his return, he is likely to be released on parole. In the run up to his release, a defamatory media campaign has started in the Canadian press to discredit him and his return to the country.
Extraordinary rendition:
Lawyers for Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the Libyan man whose “rendition” to Libya through the active participation of the British government from Malaysia in 2004 was uncovered by Human Rights Watch in September 2011, have brought proceedings against Jack Straw MP, who was foreign secretary at the time. Mr Straw has been accused of complicity in torture for the suffering Mr Belhaj and his wife faced in both Thailand and Libya. He is also accused of misfeasance or inappropriate conduct in public office. In addition to this, Mr Straw also faces questioning from the Scotland Yard over the matter following a criminal investigation into the rendition announced earlier this year, and which led to the collapse of the Gibson Inquiry.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/18/jack-straw-libya-rendition
Since then, further evidence has emerged of the close relationship between the Blair government and the Libyan regime, in particular intelligence sharing about Libyan dissidents living in the UK, facilitating the work of Libyan spies working against dissidents in the UK and passing on information about Libyan political refugees. Brushing off the news, concerning a period during which simultaneously trade links between Libya and the UK continued to strengthen, Lord Goldsmith, attorney general at the time, defended Tony Blair’s government, stating that they believed “he [Gaddafi] had turned for the good”.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133276/MI5-betrayed-Libya-dissidents-Gaddafi-spies-London-sting-Secret-documents-exposed-MoS-trigger-political-storm.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Following requests from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Extraordinary Rendition under the Freedom of Information Act, the Information Tribunal has ruled that there was “a very strong public interest in transparency and accountability” in the government revealing what it, its ministers, their departments and the intelligence services knew about extraordinary rendition and whether ministers actually did show their stated opposition to the practice. This is in particular as ministers have had to retract statements they have previously made in parliament concerning the rendition of British residents. Nonetheless, the Tribunal ruled that documents concerning the role of the intelligence services must not be disclosed in the interest of national security. Andrew Tyrie MP, the chair of the APPG, said that the ruling made the setup of a new inquiry into the UK’s role in extraordinary rendition more urgent.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/19/uk-role-rendition-fresh-scrutiny?intcmp=239
In spite of the Coalition government’s allegations that collusion in extraordinary rendition was a practice of the former government, in March this year, the High Court allowed two Kenyan men (a claim was allowed by another man last year) to prosecute the British government for involvement in their rendition to Uganda and torture there in the summer of 2010, just months after the Coalition government took power. The two men, Habib Suleiman Njoroge and his brother Yahya Suleiman Mbuthia, claim they were taken to Uganda for questioning where they were tortured; American and British intelligence officers were present while they were abused during interrogations. They were arrested along with other Kenyan Muslims following suicide bomb attacks on crowds watching the football World Cup in July 2010. They claim they were threatened with being taken to Guantánamo Bay during interrogations. The High Court has allowed them to bring their claim and to seek documents in support of their application from the government. When the case is heard, it is likely that parts of it will involve the use of a “special advocate”, a security-vetted barrister who will represent the claimants in secret hearings as part of the case to allegedly protect national security. The claimants and their lawyers will not ever learn what happens during these secret proceedings and the special advocate will not be allowed to communicate with them once they are party to the secret evidence. This evidence will not appear in any final open judgment either, although it may be the basis of the judgment itself. The government is seeking to introduce such secret proceedings, which essentially undo the whole purpose of having a trial and “one’s day in court” through its controversial Green Paper on Justice and Security. It also tried to introduce such a measure to protect itself in the case brought by several former Guantánamo prisoners in 2011 which ended in an out-of-court settlement and in which the judge ruled that such measures could not be used.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/24/kenyans-allege-british-involvement-rendition?intcmp=239
Following the Polish government’s public announcement last month of charges brought against former senior members of the country’s intelligence services for collusion with the CIA in the operation of a secret “dark” prison in the country, prosecutors have finally met with lawyers representing prisoners held there months after the charges were first brought. Some of the prisoners previously held there and tortured continue to be held at Guantánamo Bay. The move shows Poland’s commitment to investigating this unfortunate episode and could lead the way for other European countries accused of similar actions to carry out their own investigations too.
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_04_19_poland_prosecution_rendition/
LGC Activities:
The April “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was held on 5th April and was attended by 8 people. The May demonstration is on Friday 4 May at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy and 1.15-2.15pm at Marble Arch: http://www.facebook.com/events/124216407710145/
To greet MPs returning from their Easter break, campaigners from the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (SSAC), the LGC and others held a lively and colourful protest outside Parliament on Monday 16 April calling for the release and return to the UK of the last Londoner in Guantánamo Bay, Shaker Aamer. Around 30 people joined the demonstration held between 1 and 3pm. MPs Jane Ellison and John McDonnell also joined the protesters briefly as did journalist Andy Worthington, who spoke briefly as well. Following the protest, John McDonnell tabled the following Early Day Motion 2955 in support of the SSAC and calling for further action for Shaker Aamer to return to his family in the UK: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2010-12/2955 It has been signed by 12 MPs so far; if your MP has not signed, please contact them and ask them to add their name. You can find them at www.theyworkforyou.com
The e-petition calling on the Foreign Office to secure the release of Shaker Aamer, started on the tenth anniversary of his illegal detention at Guantánamo Bay, has now been replaced, with the same wording, by the following e-petition:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33133 If you signed the previous e-petition (before 20 April), please sign the new petition as well. It has been extended to a one-year deadline, of 20 April 2013, on which date, if more than 100,000 signatures are collected, it will trigger a debate in parliament on the issue. To sign, you need to be resident in the United Kingdom. You do not need to be of voting age.
Reports on the 16 April demonstration:
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/04/18/calling-for-the-release-of-shaker-aamer-from-guantanamo-the-petition-a-protest-an-early-day-motion-and-a-twitter-campaign/
http://london.indymedia.org/articles/12088
Guantánamo Bay:
Two Chinese Uighur prisoners were released to El Salvador on 19 April, the first two prisoners to be released in over a year. Their release, along with other Uighur prisoners, had been ordered several years ago; however, they cannot be released to China, where they are members of a persecuted ethnic group and would face further persecution and torture. The two men have been identified by their lawyers as Ahmed Mohamed and Abdul Razak. Several other Uighur prisoners have been sent to other safe third countries such as the Bahamas and Palau, where they are likely to resettle permanently. This brings the prisoner number to 169.
The American government has made a formal application to the Canadian government for the return of Canadian citizen Omar Khadr. Pending approval by the Canadian government, which has consistently dragged its heels over Mr Khadr’s return to the country, he could be released by the end of next month. The only person to have been convicted of war crimes committed as a minor since World War II, Omar Khadr, now 25, has been held for the past ten years. Convicted in October 2010 under a secret plea deal, he was to be released to complete his sentence in Canada. Upon his return, he is likely to be released on parole. In the run up to his release, a defamatory media campaign has started in the Canadian press to discredit him and his return to the country.
Extraordinary rendition:
Lawyers for Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the Libyan man whose “rendition” to Libya through the active participation of the British government from Malaysia in 2004 was uncovered by Human Rights Watch in September 2011, have brought proceedings against Jack Straw MP, who was foreign secretary at the time. Mr Straw has been accused of complicity in torture for the suffering Mr Belhaj and his wife faced in both Thailand and Libya. He is also accused of misfeasance or inappropriate conduct in public office. In addition to this, Mr Straw also faces questioning from the Scotland Yard over the matter following a criminal investigation into the rendition announced earlier this year, and which led to the collapse of the Gibson Inquiry.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/18/jack-straw-libya-rendition
Since then, further evidence has emerged of the close relationship between the Blair government and the Libyan regime, in particular intelligence sharing about Libyan dissidents living in the UK, facilitating the work of Libyan spies working against dissidents in the UK and passing on information about Libyan political refugees. Brushing off the news, concerning a period during which simultaneously trade links between Libya and the UK continued to strengthen, Lord Goldsmith, attorney general at the time, defended Tony Blair’s government, stating that they believed “he [Gaddafi] had turned for the good”.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2133276/MI5-betrayed-Libya-dissidents-Gaddafi-spies-London-sting-Secret-documents-exposed-MoS-trigger-political-storm.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Following requests from the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Extraordinary Rendition under the Freedom of Information Act, the Information Tribunal has ruled that there was “a very strong public interest in transparency and accountability” in the government revealing what it, its ministers, their departments and the intelligence services knew about extraordinary rendition and whether ministers actually did show their stated opposition to the practice. This is in particular as ministers have had to retract statements they have previously made in parliament concerning the rendition of British residents. Nonetheless, the Tribunal ruled that documents concerning the role of the intelligence services must not be disclosed in the interest of national security. Andrew Tyrie MP, the chair of the APPG, said that the ruling made the setup of a new inquiry into the UK’s role in extraordinary rendition more urgent.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/19/uk-role-rendition-fresh-scrutiny?intcmp=239
In spite of the Coalition government’s allegations that collusion in extraordinary rendition was a practice of the former government, in March this year, the High Court allowed two Kenyan men (a claim was allowed by another man last year) to prosecute the British government for involvement in their rendition to Uganda and torture there in the summer of 2010, just months after the Coalition government took power. The two men, Habib Suleiman Njoroge and his brother Yahya Suleiman Mbuthia, claim they were taken to Uganda for questioning where they were tortured; American and British intelligence officers were present while they were abused during interrogations. They were arrested along with other Kenyan Muslims following suicide bomb attacks on crowds watching the football World Cup in July 2010. They claim they were threatened with being taken to Guantánamo Bay during interrogations. The High Court has allowed them to bring their claim and to seek documents in support of their application from the government. When the case is heard, it is likely that parts of it will involve the use of a “special advocate”, a security-vetted barrister who will represent the claimants in secret hearings as part of the case to allegedly protect national security. The claimants and their lawyers will not ever learn what happens during these secret proceedings and the special advocate will not be allowed to communicate with them once they are party to the secret evidence. This evidence will not appear in any final open judgment either, although it may be the basis of the judgment itself. The government is seeking to introduce such secret proceedings, which essentially undo the whole purpose of having a trial and “one’s day in court” through its controversial Green Paper on Justice and Security. It also tried to introduce such a measure to protect itself in the case brought by several former Guantánamo prisoners in 2011 which ended in an out-of-court settlement and in which the judge ruled that such measures could not be used.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/24/kenyans-allege-british-involvement-rendition?intcmp=239
Following the Polish government’s public announcement last month of charges brought against former senior members of the country’s intelligence services for collusion with the CIA in the operation of a secret “dark” prison in the country, prosecutors have finally met with lawyers representing prisoners held there months after the charges were first brought. Some of the prisoners previously held there and tortured continue to be held at Guantánamo Bay. The move shows Poland’s commitment to investigating this unfortunate episode and could lead the way for other European countries accused of similar actions to carry out their own investigations too.
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_04_19_poland_prosecution_rendition/
LGC Activities:
The April “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was held on 5th April and was attended by 8 people. The May demonstration is on Friday 4 May at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy and 1.15-2.15pm at Marble Arch: http://www.facebook.com/events/124216407710145/
Monday, April 02, 2012
LGC Newsletter – March 2012
NEWS:
British Residents:
During the official visit by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, to the United States in mid-March, Foreign Secretary William Hague raised the case of Shaker Aamer with his counterpart Hilary Clinton. In response to a question put to him in the House of Commons by Caroline Lucas MP on 15 March, Mr Hague said he had raised the issue with Mrs Clinton, as he had done on several other occasions. Continuing the use of the language used by the Coalition government in recent months in respect to Mr Aamer’s case, William Hague said that Britain and the US would continue “to engage […] on this issue until a solution is reached”. The British government’s language and position on Mr Aamer’s return to the UK remain ambiguous and suggest that such a “solution” could involve Shaker Aamer’s return to Saudi Arabia or a third country rather than to his family in the UK.
The British government has not sought to clarify what it means in this respect. Consequently, we urge you to add your name to the e-petition to the Foreign Office on the return of Shaker Aamer to the UK, which could prompt a serious debate on the issue in the House of Commons, if at least 100,000 signatures are added: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29410
Guantánamo Bay:
Canadian prisoner Omar Khadr may return to Canada by the end of May with his transfer likely to be approved by the US in early April. Approval is then only needed by the Canadian government. He was convicted in late 2010 in the first military trial for war crimes committed as a minor since World War II. Arrested in 2002 in Afghanistan, Omar Khadr was 15 at the time of his stated offences. He has spent almost a whole decade in Guantánamo Bay. Although the repatriation process, commenced by his lawyers over a year ago, does not usually take so long, the Canadian government has dragged its heels over allowing him to return to the country. Under a secret plea bargain in his case, leading to his conviction, Omar Khadr would spend one further year (now over 18 months) in Guantánamo and then serve the remainder of his eight-year sentence in Canada. His lawyers report that Mr Khadr is becoming increasingly “frustrated” with the constant delays.
Talks have been on-going in March over the release of five Taleban leaders held at Guantánamo which is likely to take place soon. Rather than return the men to Afghanistan, negotiations include the Qatari government for them to be sent to that state, which they will not be allowed to leave. The release of these five men is part of broader negotiations between the US and Afghan governments, in which the prisoners are being used as bargaining chips, clearly demonstrating that there are few serious impediments to the US releasing prisoners when it is in their interest and regardless of their alleged or actual status.
Extraordinary rendition:
A former head of the intelligence services in Poland was arrested on 27 March for allegedly helping to set up secret CIA detention facilities in the country in the early 2000s. The charges include unlawful deprivation of liberty, unlawful failure to provide access to a neutral tribunal, abuse of office by a public official and using “corporal punishment” against a prisoner. Confirmation of such sites has been provided by other officials in the intelligence services as part of Poland’s on-going investigation into its role in extraordinary rendition started in 2008. Mr Zbigniew Siemiatkowski has refused to comment on the charges brought against him but has not denied the reports. The location of one such prison, alleged to have been operative in 2002-2003 is near a small village in a remote part of the country. Human rights NGOs claim that up to at least 8 individuals may have been held illegally and tortured in Poland. This follows confirmation of such sites by the Lithuanian authorities and a media report on an illegal CIA prison in Bucharest, Romania last year.
Earlier in March, Amnesty International urged all EU state to reinvestigate “torture” flights passing through their territory and refuelling at European airports. The organisation accused EU states of “an appalling lack of political will to secure the truth”. The Council of Europe claims that over a 1000 such flights passed through Europe in 2002-2009. The European Parliament is set to revisit a 2005 investigation into complicity in the CIA extraordinary rendition programme.
LGC Activities:
The March “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was held on 1st March and was attended by 5 people. The April demonstration is on Thursday 5 April at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy and 1.15-2.15pm at Marble Arch: http://www.facebook.com/events/415414361808344/
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (SSAC) is organising a protest in Parliament Square on Monday 16 April at 1-3pm. This is the day that parliament reconvenes after the Easter break. Please join the protest if you can.
British Residents:
During the official visit by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, to the United States in mid-March, Foreign Secretary William Hague raised the case of Shaker Aamer with his counterpart Hilary Clinton. In response to a question put to him in the House of Commons by Caroline Lucas MP on 15 March, Mr Hague said he had raised the issue with Mrs Clinton, as he had done on several other occasions. Continuing the use of the language used by the Coalition government in recent months in respect to Mr Aamer’s case, William Hague said that Britain and the US would continue “to engage […] on this issue until a solution is reached”. The British government’s language and position on Mr Aamer’s return to the UK remain ambiguous and suggest that such a “solution” could involve Shaker Aamer’s return to Saudi Arabia or a third country rather than to his family in the UK.
The British government has not sought to clarify what it means in this respect. Consequently, we urge you to add your name to the e-petition to the Foreign Office on the return of Shaker Aamer to the UK, which could prompt a serious debate on the issue in the House of Commons, if at least 100,000 signatures are added: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29410
Guantánamo Bay:
Canadian prisoner Omar Khadr may return to Canada by the end of May with his transfer likely to be approved by the US in early April. Approval is then only needed by the Canadian government. He was convicted in late 2010 in the first military trial for war crimes committed as a minor since World War II. Arrested in 2002 in Afghanistan, Omar Khadr was 15 at the time of his stated offences. He has spent almost a whole decade in Guantánamo Bay. Although the repatriation process, commenced by his lawyers over a year ago, does not usually take so long, the Canadian government has dragged its heels over allowing him to return to the country. Under a secret plea bargain in his case, leading to his conviction, Omar Khadr would spend one further year (now over 18 months) in Guantánamo and then serve the remainder of his eight-year sentence in Canada. His lawyers report that Mr Khadr is becoming increasingly “frustrated” with the constant delays.
Talks have been on-going in March over the release of five Taleban leaders held at Guantánamo which is likely to take place soon. Rather than return the men to Afghanistan, negotiations include the Qatari government for them to be sent to that state, which they will not be allowed to leave. The release of these five men is part of broader negotiations between the US and Afghan governments, in which the prisoners are being used as bargaining chips, clearly demonstrating that there are few serious impediments to the US releasing prisoners when it is in their interest and regardless of their alleged or actual status.
Extraordinary rendition:
A former head of the intelligence services in Poland was arrested on 27 March for allegedly helping to set up secret CIA detention facilities in the country in the early 2000s. The charges include unlawful deprivation of liberty, unlawful failure to provide access to a neutral tribunal, abuse of office by a public official and using “corporal punishment” against a prisoner. Confirmation of such sites has been provided by other officials in the intelligence services as part of Poland’s on-going investigation into its role in extraordinary rendition started in 2008. Mr Zbigniew Siemiatkowski has refused to comment on the charges brought against him but has not denied the reports. The location of one such prison, alleged to have been operative in 2002-2003 is near a small village in a remote part of the country. Human rights NGOs claim that up to at least 8 individuals may have been held illegally and tortured in Poland. This follows confirmation of such sites by the Lithuanian authorities and a media report on an illegal CIA prison in Bucharest, Romania last year.
Earlier in March, Amnesty International urged all EU state to reinvestigate “torture” flights passing through their territory and refuelling at European airports. The organisation accused EU states of “an appalling lack of political will to secure the truth”. The Council of Europe claims that over a 1000 such flights passed through Europe in 2002-2009. The European Parliament is set to revisit a 2005 investigation into complicity in the CIA extraordinary rendition programme.
LGC Activities:
The March “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was held on 1st March and was attended by 5 people. The April demonstration is on Thursday 5 April at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy and 1.15-2.15pm at Marble Arch: http://www.facebook.com/events/415414361808344/
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (SSAC) is organising a protest in Parliament Square on Monday 16 April at 1-3pm. This is the day that parliament reconvenes after the Easter break. Please join the protest if you can.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
URGENT APPEAL – Sign the e-petition for the return of SHAKER AAMER to the UK – 100,000 signatures needed by 14 May
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29410 February 14th marked the tenth anniversary of the detention without charge or trial of Shaker Aamer, the last Londoner held in Guantánamo Bay. To mark this anniversary, Shaker’s family and solicitor, Gareth Peirce, launched an e-petition to the Foreign Office. If 100,000 signatures are collected on this e-petition by 14th May, it will trigger a debate in parliament on this issue. Please add your name to the petition and ask your friends and family to as well.
Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national, is a British resident from south London. He has a British wife and children, the youngest of whom he has never met. An aid worker in Afghanistan, he was picked up by the Americans in the country, tortured there and in Pakistan before being taken to Guantánamo Bay. He alleges that British intelligence agents were present on one occasion when he was tortured in Afghanistan; this claim is currently subject to a police investigation.
Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the Pentagon in 2007 and his return to the UK was formally sought by the British government in August that year. Four other men whose return was sought at the same time have since returned. Both the British and American governments claim to be making their best efforts to release Mr Aamer, the most recent being during talks between William Hague and Hillary Clinton during David Cameron’s visit to the US in March. No reasons have been given, however, for why Shaker Aamer remains there. In the meantime, his health is reported to have deteriorated seriously, according to his lawyers from Reprieve, and his family continue to suffer without him in London. Ten years is enough! Please sign the petition today.
To sign, you need to be a British national or resident. Age is irrelevant so those below voting age can sign too. An e-mail address is necessary.
This action is support by the London Guantánamo Campaign, the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign and others.
For more information:
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/blog/2012_03_27_free_shaker_petition/
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/03/07/return-shaker-aamer-to-the-uk-from-guantanamo-major-publicity-campaign-launched-to-secure-100000-signatures-on-uk-e-petition/
If you would like to receive flyers about the e-petition to distribute to friends, colleagues, local groups, etc., please contact the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign.
Text of the e-petition: “Shaker Aamer is a British resident with a British wife and children who has been imprisoned without trial by the US in Bagram Airforce Base and Guantanamo Bay for over ten years. The Foreign Secretary and the Foreign Office must undertake urgent new initiatives to achieve the immediate transfer of Shaker Aamer to the UK from continuing indefinite detention in Guantanamo Bay” (Saeed Siddique, Shaker Aamer’s father-in-law).
For more details, please contact the London Guantánamo Campaign: london.gtmo@gmail.com or the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign: ssac.contact@gmail.com
Monday, March 12, 2012
MEDIA RELEASE: UK Campaigners call for action over Guantánamo Bay and British residents during Cameron visit to USA
12th March 2012 – for immediate release
Human rights activists from the London Guantánamo Campaign [1] and the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign [2] call on Prime Minister David Cameron to raise the closure of Guantánamo Bay and the return of British residents Shaker Aamer [3] and Ahmed Belbacha [4] to the UK during his official visit to the USA on 13-14 March.
Mr Cameron will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is reported to have sought the return of British resident Shaker Aamer recently with his American counterpart. Mr Cameron claimed in parliament on the tenth anniversary of the illegal prison facility that Mr Hague “is working very hard with the United States to try and secure this issue and to bring this chapter to a close.” [5] Campaigners demand that Mr Cameron seek Mr Aamer’s return through his personal intervention at the highest level, and press President Obama, during this American presidential year, to take practical and immediate measures to close Guantánamo Bay.
To mark this visit by the British Prime Minister, Joy Hurcombe, chair of the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, sent a letter, on 9th March, to David Cameron and Barack Obama, stating, “Reluctantly, we must conclude that the Government assurances appear to disguise the truth. It would appear that the Government is not pressing the US hard enough for Shaker’s release and/or the Government would rather Shaker remained in Guantanamo in order to silence him.” [6]
Aisha Maniar, a spokesperson from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: "Photo ops, sporting events and a chance to cement the special relationship aside, both premiers must seize the opportunity presented by this second official meeting in under a year to secure the release and return of British residents to the UK, seek the return of Bagram prisoner Yunus Rahmatullah to British custody [7], and the ultimate closure of Guantánamo Bay.
“Four years ago, a presidential candidate called Barack Obama sang from a very different hymn sheet on Guantánamo Bay and it now time for both men to demonstrate that they recognise there is a difference between words and actions.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com
2. www.saveshaker.org
3. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/
4. Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national who lived in Bournemouth from 1999 to 2001, was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. Never charged or tried, he was free to leave but has remained at Guantánamo Bay for want of a safe third country to return to. A court injunction in the USA has prevented his forced return to Algeria. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/ahmedbelbacha/
5. 11 January 2011 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9007761/Guantanamo-Bay-10-year-anniversary-Britain-working-very-hard-with-US-to-help-close-camp.html
6. Full text of the letter sent by Joy Hurcombe, chair, Save Shaker Aamer Campaign to David Cameron and Barack Obama on 9th March 2012:
Dear Prime Minister David Cameron,
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign calls on you to demand the release and return of British Resident Shaker Aamer to his home and family in the UK from US custody in Guantanamo. We urge you to use the occasion of your official visit to Washington on 13/14 March to gain assurances from President Obama that Shaker Aamer will be returned to his family without delay.
The UK Government has reiterated its position on many occasions in Parliament, that the Foreign Office has made requests to the US Administration for Shaker Aamer’s release to the UK. We welcome the clear responses by William Hague and Alistair Burt to questions put by Jane Ellison, MP for Shaker’s British family who live in Battersea. Also, we appreciate the public statement made this month by Foreign Secretary, William Hague, following a meeting with Jane Ellison MP, Shaker Aamer’s lawyers and family members that, “We will continue to call for Mr. Aamer to be returned to his family in the UK.”
Yet, Shaker is still incarcerated in Guantanamo in the harshest of conditions despite having been cleared for release by the US Administration in 2007 and in 2010. Reluctantly, we must conclude that the Government assurances appear to disguise the truth. It would appear that the Government is not pressing the US hard enough for Shaker’s release and/or the Government would rather Shaker remained in Guantanamo in order to silence him. Shaker Aamer has alleged that he was tortured in Afghanistan in the presence of UK M15/M16 officials. When he is released, his evidence of UK’s complicity in torture will shame those who authorised this policy and those who put it into practice. Is the UK Government dragging its feet to stop the truth being told?
We have received a recent shocking report that Shaker Aamer has, once again, been visited in his cell by Saudi officials who have tried to coerce him to sign documents agreeing to his transfer to Saudi Arabia, a country from which he fled over 28 years ago. Shaker refused to sign. Shaker’s lawyers state that this visit could not have taken place without the consent of the UK Government. Is this the meaning behind the somewhat disconcerting statement by William Hague following the meeting referred to above that, “I have personally raised his case with Secretary Clinton on a number of occasions and we will continue to engage with the US on this issue until a solution is reached.”
There is no difficulty in finding a solution. We call on your Government to respect Shaker Aamer’s wish to return to his family, all of whom are British citizens, honour his long-term right of return and indefinite leave to remain and act on your public statements that you are committed to Shaker Aamer’s release and return to the UK. If Shaker is forcibly transferred to Saudi Arabia, he will face certain persecution and permanent separation from his British wife and children. World opinion would castigate the UK for allowing further injustice to a man who has suffered abduction, rendition, torture, abuse, years of solitary confinement and medical neglect in absolute denial of all his human rights.
Prime Minister, as you renew the UK/US special relationship, in your meetings with President Obama, we urge you to secure a date for Shaker’s immediate return to the UK.
We welcome the January 11th statement by Jay Carney, the White House spokes-person that, “President Obama remains committed to closing the Guantanamo facility... The President’s commitment hasn’t changed at all.”
President Obama should act in accordance with amendment 1028 of the US National Defence Authorisation Act in which a waiver can be used to enable the transfer from Guantanamo of the 89 detainees, who have been cleared for release, without further reference to the US Congress. Shaker Aamer could come home today. He could get his life back. He could be restored to his home and family. Shaker Aamer’s health is failing. His lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith wrote to William Hague immediately after his visit in November to Guantanamo to see Shaker. He stated that Shaker is gradually dying in Guantanamo. Please do not allow this to happen. Bring Shaker Aamer home now.
Yours sincerely, Joy Hurcombe
7 http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/yunusrahmatullah/
Human rights activists from the London Guantánamo Campaign [1] and the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign [2] call on Prime Minister David Cameron to raise the closure of Guantánamo Bay and the return of British residents Shaker Aamer [3] and Ahmed Belbacha [4] to the UK during his official visit to the USA on 13-14 March.
Mr Cameron will be accompanied by Foreign Secretary William Hague, who is reported to have sought the return of British resident Shaker Aamer recently with his American counterpart. Mr Cameron claimed in parliament on the tenth anniversary of the illegal prison facility that Mr Hague “is working very hard with the United States to try and secure this issue and to bring this chapter to a close.” [5] Campaigners demand that Mr Cameron seek Mr Aamer’s return through his personal intervention at the highest level, and press President Obama, during this American presidential year, to take practical and immediate measures to close Guantánamo Bay.
To mark this visit by the British Prime Minister, Joy Hurcombe, chair of the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, sent a letter, on 9th March, to David Cameron and Barack Obama, stating, “Reluctantly, we must conclude that the Government assurances appear to disguise the truth. It would appear that the Government is not pressing the US hard enough for Shaker’s release and/or the Government would rather Shaker remained in Guantanamo in order to silence him.” [6]
Aisha Maniar, a spokesperson from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: "Photo ops, sporting events and a chance to cement the special relationship aside, both premiers must seize the opportunity presented by this second official meeting in under a year to secure the release and return of British residents to the UK, seek the return of Bagram prisoner Yunus Rahmatullah to British custody [7], and the ultimate closure of Guantánamo Bay.
“Four years ago, a presidential candidate called Barack Obama sang from a very different hymn sheet on Guantánamo Bay and it now time for both men to demonstrate that they recognise there is a difference between words and actions.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com
2. www.saveshaker.org
3. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/
4. Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national who lived in Bournemouth from 1999 to 2001, was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. Never charged or tried, he was free to leave but has remained at Guantánamo Bay for want of a safe third country to return to. A court injunction in the USA has prevented his forced return to Algeria. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/ahmedbelbacha/
5. 11 January 2011 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9007761/Guantanamo-Bay-10-year-anniversary-Britain-working-very-hard-with-US-to-help-close-camp.html
6. Full text of the letter sent by Joy Hurcombe, chair, Save Shaker Aamer Campaign to David Cameron and Barack Obama on 9th March 2012:
Dear Prime Minister David Cameron,
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign calls on you to demand the release and return of British Resident Shaker Aamer to his home and family in the UK from US custody in Guantanamo. We urge you to use the occasion of your official visit to Washington on 13/14 March to gain assurances from President Obama that Shaker Aamer will be returned to his family without delay.
The UK Government has reiterated its position on many occasions in Parliament, that the Foreign Office has made requests to the US Administration for Shaker Aamer’s release to the UK. We welcome the clear responses by William Hague and Alistair Burt to questions put by Jane Ellison, MP for Shaker’s British family who live in Battersea. Also, we appreciate the public statement made this month by Foreign Secretary, William Hague, following a meeting with Jane Ellison MP, Shaker Aamer’s lawyers and family members that, “We will continue to call for Mr. Aamer to be returned to his family in the UK.”
Yet, Shaker is still incarcerated in Guantanamo in the harshest of conditions despite having been cleared for release by the US Administration in 2007 and in 2010. Reluctantly, we must conclude that the Government assurances appear to disguise the truth. It would appear that the Government is not pressing the US hard enough for Shaker’s release and/or the Government would rather Shaker remained in Guantanamo in order to silence him. Shaker Aamer has alleged that he was tortured in Afghanistan in the presence of UK M15/M16 officials. When he is released, his evidence of UK’s complicity in torture will shame those who authorised this policy and those who put it into practice. Is the UK Government dragging its feet to stop the truth being told?
We have received a recent shocking report that Shaker Aamer has, once again, been visited in his cell by Saudi officials who have tried to coerce him to sign documents agreeing to his transfer to Saudi Arabia, a country from which he fled over 28 years ago. Shaker refused to sign. Shaker’s lawyers state that this visit could not have taken place without the consent of the UK Government. Is this the meaning behind the somewhat disconcerting statement by William Hague following the meeting referred to above that, “I have personally raised his case with Secretary Clinton on a number of occasions and we will continue to engage with the US on this issue until a solution is reached.”
There is no difficulty in finding a solution. We call on your Government to respect Shaker Aamer’s wish to return to his family, all of whom are British citizens, honour his long-term right of return and indefinite leave to remain and act on your public statements that you are committed to Shaker Aamer’s release and return to the UK. If Shaker is forcibly transferred to Saudi Arabia, he will face certain persecution and permanent separation from his British wife and children. World opinion would castigate the UK for allowing further injustice to a man who has suffered abduction, rendition, torture, abuse, years of solitary confinement and medical neglect in absolute denial of all his human rights.
Prime Minister, as you renew the UK/US special relationship, in your meetings with President Obama, we urge you to secure a date for Shaker’s immediate return to the UK.
We welcome the January 11th statement by Jay Carney, the White House spokes-person that, “President Obama remains committed to closing the Guantanamo facility... The President’s commitment hasn’t changed at all.”
President Obama should act in accordance with amendment 1028 of the US National Defence Authorisation Act in which a waiver can be used to enable the transfer from Guantanamo of the 89 detainees, who have been cleared for release, without further reference to the US Congress. Shaker Aamer could come home today. He could get his life back. He could be restored to his home and family. Shaker Aamer’s health is failing. His lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith wrote to William Hague immediately after his visit in November to Guantanamo to see Shaker. He stated that Shaker is gradually dying in Guantanamo. Please do not allow this to happen. Bring Shaker Aamer home now.
Yours sincerely, Joy Hurcombe
7 http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/yunusrahmatullah/
Friday, March 02, 2012
LGC Newsletter - February 2012
NEWS:
British Residents:
On 14 February, the last British resident, recognised as such by the government, marked his tenth anniversary of detention without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay. Shaker Aamer’s return to the UK was sought officially with that of four other British residents in August 2007; they have all since returned. In spite of alleged ongoing efforts between the US and the UK to release Shaker Aamer, who is a Saudi national with a British family, including recent talks between William Hague and Hillary Clinton, no reasons have been given for why he remains there or what the potential block may be; both sides blame each other for the delay. His British lawyer, Gareth Peirce, wrote the following in the Guardian on the anniversary date:
http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/commentisfree/2012/feb/13/shaker-aamer-guantanamo-bay
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign also held two events to mark Shaker Aamer’s tenth inexplicable year of detention: a demonstration and public meeting in Battersea on 11 February and a protest demonstration outside the US Embassy on 14 February, during which a letter was delivered to the Embassy.
http://www.demotix.com/news/1053578/protesters-valentine-obama-calls-release-shaker-aamer
http://simonhoggblogs.com/2012/02/11/guantanamo-comes-to-clapham-junction-shaker-aamers-10-years-without-charge-or-trial/
To mark the anniversary, Shaker Aamer’s family and lawyers put together the following e-petition to the government: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29410 100,000 signatures are needed on the petition by 14 May for a debate to be held in parliament on this issue. Please add your name to the petition and ask friends and family to add theirs too.
On 9 February, British resident Ahmed Belbacha, who has not been recognised as such by the British government, which considers him a failed asylum seeker as he was in Bagram when his asylum appeal was held in 2001, marked his tenth anniversary of detention without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay. Like Shaker Aamer, he was cleared for release by the Pentagon in 2007 and neither man is deemed to pose a threat. Although he can return to his native Algeria, due to fear of further abuse there, as has happened to other prisoners who have returned there, and for lack of another country to accept him, he has remained at Guantánamo Bay for the past five years as a hostage of the international community. The London Guantánamo Campaign believes that after 10 years of such detention and treatment Mr Belbacha’s current or past residency status in the UK is an irrelevant consideration and the UK should allow him to return to this country, where he worked and resided for at least eighteen months, on humanitarian grounds, as other EU states have done with other prisoners.
Guantánamo Bay:
Later this year, American voters will go to the polls to elect a new president. Back in 2008, Barack Obama, who will seek re-election to a second term of office as president, made the closure of Guantánamo Bay (but not an end to extraordinary rendition) one of his main campaigning policies. One of the first things he did as president was sign a decree ordering the closure of Guantánamo Bay by early 2010, within the first year of his presidency, and ending the use of military commissions. Instead, as he heads towards his second election campaign, he has chosen to perpetuate and add a legal gloss to the regime at Guantánamo Bay by signing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA 2012) into law and has resumed military commissions. Guantánamo Bay will not feature as an issue in this year’s election campaign.
Instead, a recent official report in the US has again claimed that over a quarter of prisoners freed from Guantánamo Bay have resumed hostilities against the US: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPyoxa_dqaV1fJ5C_dOPCyqvJ0mw?docId=1e26ff302e794305ad04c5f096c52cd0 and a recent survey claimed that the majority of Americans are satisfied with Obama’s foreign policy:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-finds-broad-support-for-obamas-counterterrorism-policies/2012/02/07/gIQAFrSEyQ_story.html including failing to close Guantánamo Bay and his open use of unmanned drone attacks all over the world to deal with alleged opponents of his regime, an extralegal method this Nobel Peace Prize-winning lawyer and US president has chosen to make his weapon of choice, as opposed to illegal detention.
Majid Khan, 32, a Pakistani prisoner, who had previously resided in the US, was charged earlier this month with war crimes, including murder and attempted murder. Regarded as a “high-value” prisoner, rather than having to wait months for an actual trial, he was arraigned almost immediately and reached a plea bargain whereby he pleaded guilty to charges against him in return for a reduced sentence, of no more than 25 years, by agreeing to testify against other high-value prisoners, such as Khaled Sheikh Mohamed. His actual sentencing will be deferred until 2016, for four whole years, to ensure he keeps up this part of the bargain. Majid Khan “disappeared” in 2003 into the CIA’s network of secret torture prisons around the world and re-emerged at Guantánamo Bay in 2006. What happened to Khan during those three years was not of concern during his hearing. This case is expected to speed up other outstanding prosecution cases at Guantánamo but does little to address the fundamental issues, such as the use of torture to obtain evidence, over a decade in delay in actual prosecution, etc. or the defendant’s right to a basic fair trial.
Extraordinary rendition:
Yunus Rahmatullah, a Pakistani national who was handed over to the US authorities by the British army in Iraq in 2004, was later transferred to Bagram in Afghanistan where he has been held without charge or trial and largely without contact with the outside world since. Following a High Court ruling in December last year, the British government was ordered to secure his release from the Americans or otherwise find itself in breach of international criminal law and at risk of prosecution for the conditions under which Mr Rahmatullah was handed over to the US. The court gave the government until 19 February to do this. Unfortunately, the British government, in spite of its “special relationship” with the US, failed to secure his freedom and consequently the legal charity, Reprieve, which represents him handed over the issue to the police to bring the relevant prosecutions against those individuals and officials responsible for his ordeal: http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_02_21_yunus_habeas_decision/ The court accepted the government’s reasons for why it was unable to secure his release; nonetheless, the court and both the US and UK governments agree that war crimes were committed against Mr Rahmatullah.
LGC Activities:
The LGC marked the fifth anniversary of its regular “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstrations outside the US Embassy on 3 February. In sub-zero temperatures, around 25 activists joined a special candlelight vigil which included special performances by Actors for Human Rights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8deBsuyd95A&context=C3df4f6aADOEgsToPDskIRUIygGP084r018I8uMCmu
and poet Sergio Amigo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCDC81P5i58&feature=context&context=C3df4f6aADOEgsToPDskIRUIygGP084r018I8uMCmu
https://london.indymedia.org/articles/11611
http://www.demotix.com/news/1033393/london-guant-namo-campaign-candlelit-vigil
The March demonstration, held on 1st March, was attended by 5 people.
British Residents:
On 14 February, the last British resident, recognised as such by the government, marked his tenth anniversary of detention without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay. Shaker Aamer’s return to the UK was sought officially with that of four other British residents in August 2007; they have all since returned. In spite of alleged ongoing efforts between the US and the UK to release Shaker Aamer, who is a Saudi national with a British family, including recent talks between William Hague and Hillary Clinton, no reasons have been given for why he remains there or what the potential block may be; both sides blame each other for the delay. His British lawyer, Gareth Peirce, wrote the following in the Guardian on the anniversary date:
http://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/commentisfree/2012/feb/13/shaker-aamer-guantanamo-bay
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign also held two events to mark Shaker Aamer’s tenth inexplicable year of detention: a demonstration and public meeting in Battersea on 11 February and a protest demonstration outside the US Embassy on 14 February, during which a letter was delivered to the Embassy.
http://www.demotix.com/news/1053578/protesters-valentine-obama-calls-release-shaker-aamer
http://simonhoggblogs.com/2012/02/11/guantanamo-comes-to-clapham-junction-shaker-aamers-10-years-without-charge-or-trial/
To mark the anniversary, Shaker Aamer’s family and lawyers put together the following e-petition to the government: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/29410 100,000 signatures are needed on the petition by 14 May for a debate to be held in parliament on this issue. Please add your name to the petition and ask friends and family to add theirs too.
On 9 February, British resident Ahmed Belbacha, who has not been recognised as such by the British government, which considers him a failed asylum seeker as he was in Bagram when his asylum appeal was held in 2001, marked his tenth anniversary of detention without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay. Like Shaker Aamer, he was cleared for release by the Pentagon in 2007 and neither man is deemed to pose a threat. Although he can return to his native Algeria, due to fear of further abuse there, as has happened to other prisoners who have returned there, and for lack of another country to accept him, he has remained at Guantánamo Bay for the past five years as a hostage of the international community. The London Guantánamo Campaign believes that after 10 years of such detention and treatment Mr Belbacha’s current or past residency status in the UK is an irrelevant consideration and the UK should allow him to return to this country, where he worked and resided for at least eighteen months, on humanitarian grounds, as other EU states have done with other prisoners.
Guantánamo Bay:
Later this year, American voters will go to the polls to elect a new president. Back in 2008, Barack Obama, who will seek re-election to a second term of office as president, made the closure of Guantánamo Bay (but not an end to extraordinary rendition) one of his main campaigning policies. One of the first things he did as president was sign a decree ordering the closure of Guantánamo Bay by early 2010, within the first year of his presidency, and ending the use of military commissions. Instead, as he heads towards his second election campaign, he has chosen to perpetuate and add a legal gloss to the regime at Guantánamo Bay by signing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA 2012) into law and has resumed military commissions. Guantánamo Bay will not feature as an issue in this year’s election campaign.
Instead, a recent official report in the US has again claimed that over a quarter of prisoners freed from Guantánamo Bay have resumed hostilities against the US: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gPyoxa_dqaV1fJ5C_dOPCyqvJ0mw?docId=1e26ff302e794305ad04c5f096c52cd0 and a recent survey claimed that the majority of Americans are satisfied with Obama’s foreign policy:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/poll-finds-broad-support-for-obamas-counterterrorism-policies/2012/02/07/gIQAFrSEyQ_story.html including failing to close Guantánamo Bay and his open use of unmanned drone attacks all over the world to deal with alleged opponents of his regime, an extralegal method this Nobel Peace Prize-winning lawyer and US president has chosen to make his weapon of choice, as opposed to illegal detention.
Majid Khan, 32, a Pakistani prisoner, who had previously resided in the US, was charged earlier this month with war crimes, including murder and attempted murder. Regarded as a “high-value” prisoner, rather than having to wait months for an actual trial, he was arraigned almost immediately and reached a plea bargain whereby he pleaded guilty to charges against him in return for a reduced sentence, of no more than 25 years, by agreeing to testify against other high-value prisoners, such as Khaled Sheikh Mohamed. His actual sentencing will be deferred until 2016, for four whole years, to ensure he keeps up this part of the bargain. Majid Khan “disappeared” in 2003 into the CIA’s network of secret torture prisons around the world and re-emerged at Guantánamo Bay in 2006. What happened to Khan during those three years was not of concern during his hearing. This case is expected to speed up other outstanding prosecution cases at Guantánamo but does little to address the fundamental issues, such as the use of torture to obtain evidence, over a decade in delay in actual prosecution, etc. or the defendant’s right to a basic fair trial.
Extraordinary rendition:
Yunus Rahmatullah, a Pakistani national who was handed over to the US authorities by the British army in Iraq in 2004, was later transferred to Bagram in Afghanistan where he has been held without charge or trial and largely without contact with the outside world since. Following a High Court ruling in December last year, the British government was ordered to secure his release from the Americans or otherwise find itself in breach of international criminal law and at risk of prosecution for the conditions under which Mr Rahmatullah was handed over to the US. The court gave the government until 19 February to do this. Unfortunately, the British government, in spite of its “special relationship” with the US, failed to secure his freedom and consequently the legal charity, Reprieve, which represents him handed over the issue to the police to bring the relevant prosecutions against those individuals and officials responsible for his ordeal: http://www.reprieve.org.uk/press/2012_02_21_yunus_habeas_decision/ The court accepted the government’s reasons for why it was unable to secure his release; nonetheless, the court and both the US and UK governments agree that war crimes were committed against Mr Rahmatullah.
LGC Activities:
The LGC marked the fifth anniversary of its regular “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstrations outside the US Embassy on 3 February. In sub-zero temperatures, around 25 activists joined a special candlelight vigil which included special performances by Actors for Human Rights http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8deBsuyd95A&context=C3df4f6aADOEgsToPDskIRUIygGP084r018I8uMCmu
and poet Sergio Amigo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCDC81P5i58&feature=context&context=C3df4f6aADOEgsToPDskIRUIygGP084r018I8uMCmu
https://london.indymedia.org/articles/11611
http://www.demotix.com/news/1033393/london-guant-namo-campaign-candlelit-vigil
The March demonstration, held on 1st March, was attended by 5 people.
Monday, February 13, 2012
MEDIA RELEASE: Shaker Aamer: Ten years of illegal detention without charge or trial – why are British residents still held at Guantánamo Bay?
13th February 2012 – for immediate release
The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] and the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign [2] note with dismay that tomorrow, Tuesday 14th February 2012, marks the tenth anniversary of the illegal detention at Guantánamo Bay without charge or trial of Shaker Aamer [3], a 45-year old Saudi national with a British family in London. He is the last British resident whose return from the illegal detention centre was sought by the government in August 2007.
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign will mark this date with a “Guantánamo Chain Gang” display of activists in orange jumpsuits and black hoods shackled to one another outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, at 2pm and the delivery of a petition to the Embassy itself. This action is supported by the London Guantánamo Campaign.
The London Guantánamo Campaign further regrets that Thursday 9th February marked the tenth anniversary of illegal detention without charge or trial of another British resident, Ahmed Belbacha [4], whose return to this country has not been requested by the government.
Campaigners from both organisations will demand answers from the British and American governments as to why Mr Aamer has yet to be released even though he has never been charged or tried, and was cleared for release in 2007, and will demand his immediate release to his family in London. The American government must furthermore release all the other prisoners to safety and ensure fair trials for those who have been charged.
Aisha Maniar, from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: "This situation is a ten-year nightmare for both Shaker Aamer and his family. Ten years without charge, trial and justice are indefensible and incomprehensible. Not only should Shaker Aamer be released immediately but both the British and American governments must explain why this is taking so long".
Joy Hurcombe, from the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, said: “The Government must act immediately to demand the release and return of Shaker Aamer to the UK. He is just a family man who longs to be with his family. His treatment is barbaric - ten years of torture and abuse must end now. David Cameron could just get on the phone and demand Shaker's return.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.saveshaker.org/
3. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/
4. Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national who lived in Bournemouth from 1999 to 2001, was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. Never charged or tried, he was free to leave but has remained at Guantánamo Bay for want of a safe third country to return to. A court injunction in the USA has prevented his forced return to Algeria. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/ahmedbelbacha/
The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] and the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign [2] note with dismay that tomorrow, Tuesday 14th February 2012, marks the tenth anniversary of the illegal detention at Guantánamo Bay without charge or trial of Shaker Aamer [3], a 45-year old Saudi national with a British family in London. He is the last British resident whose return from the illegal detention centre was sought by the government in August 2007.
The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign will mark this date with a “Guantánamo Chain Gang” display of activists in orange jumpsuits and black hoods shackled to one another outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, at 2pm and the delivery of a petition to the Embassy itself. This action is supported by the London Guantánamo Campaign.
The London Guantánamo Campaign further regrets that Thursday 9th February marked the tenth anniversary of illegal detention without charge or trial of another British resident, Ahmed Belbacha [4], whose return to this country has not been requested by the government.
Campaigners from both organisations will demand answers from the British and American governments as to why Mr Aamer has yet to be released even though he has never been charged or tried, and was cleared for release in 2007, and will demand his immediate release to his family in London. The American government must furthermore release all the other prisoners to safety and ensure fair trials for those who have been charged.
Aisha Maniar, from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: "This situation is a ten-year nightmare for both Shaker Aamer and his family. Ten years without charge, trial and justice are indefensible and incomprehensible. Not only should Shaker Aamer be released immediately but both the British and American governments must explain why this is taking so long".
Joy Hurcombe, from the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, said: “The Government must act immediately to demand the release and return of Shaker Aamer to the UK. He is just a family man who longs to be with his family. His treatment is barbaric - ten years of torture and abuse must end now. David Cameron could just get on the phone and demand Shaker's return.”
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com/
2. http://www.saveshaker.org/
3. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/
4. Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national who lived in Bournemouth from 1999 to 2001, was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. Never charged or tried, he was free to leave but has remained at Guantánamo Bay for want of a safe third country to return to. A court injunction in the USA has prevented his forced return to Algeria. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/ahmedbelbacha/
Wednesday, February 01, 2012
MEDIA RELEASE: Campaigners to mark Five Years of anti-Guantánamo protest with vigil outside US Embassy, 3rd February
MEDIA RELEASE: Campaigners to mark Five Years of anti-Guantánamo protest with vigil outside US Embassy
1st February 2012 - for immediate release
The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] will hold a candlelight vigil outside the US Embassy in London on Friday 3 February at 6-8pm to mark the fifth anniversary of the campaign’s regular “Shut Down Guantánamo!” [2] demonstrations outside the embassy. Campaigners will be joined by Actors for Human Rights [3] performing from The Rendition Monologues [4] and actor and poet Sergio Amigo reading poems by Guantánamo prisoners.
Aisha Maniar, from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: “We started this action five years ago to serve the United States government with a regular reminder on the doorstep of its embassy here in London that the whole world will not turn a blind eye to the regime of torture, arbitrary detention and lawlessness it has set up at Guantánamo Bay and elsewhere.
“Five years into our action and ten years after Guantánamo Bay opened its doors, the US government has clearly demonstrated that it has no intention of closing Guantánamo Bay any time soon or ending the regime it symbolises. Nonetheless, we remain resolved to see Guantánamo Bay shut down and justice for the prisoners, including the return of British residents Shaker Aamer [5] and Ahmed Belbacha [6] to this country. We call on residents and visitors to the capital who share our belief in and love for freedom and justice to join us. We will continue to maintain our regular presence outside the US Embassy until our demands are met.”
Contact: e-mail london.gtmo@gmail.com
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com
2. Since February 2007, the London Guantánamo Campaign has held a regular protest outside the US Embassy in London, first on a weekly basis, until August 2008 and on a monthly basis since then. The protest calls for the return of British resident held at Guantánamo Bay to the UK, the closure of Guantánamo Bay and other similar prisons, such as Bagram in Afghanistan, and justice for the remaining prisoners, of whom there are currently 171. Over that period, this has included special actions held in solidarity with accused Wikileaks whistleblower Private Bradley Manning and other US prisoners, with Canadian child soldier Omar Khadr during his military tribunal, and to mark the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.
3. www.iceandfire.co.uk
4. http://iceandfire.co.uk/outreach/scripts/rendition-monologues
5. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is almost 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/
6. Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national who lived in Bournemouth from 1999 to 2001, was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. Never charged or tried, he was free to leave but has remained at Guantánamo Bay for want of a safe third country to return to. A court injunction in the USA has prevented his forced return to Algeria. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/ahmedbelbacha/
1st February 2012 - for immediate release
The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] will hold a candlelight vigil outside the US Embassy in London on Friday 3 February at 6-8pm to mark the fifth anniversary of the campaign’s regular “Shut Down Guantánamo!” [2] demonstrations outside the embassy. Campaigners will be joined by Actors for Human Rights [3] performing from The Rendition Monologues [4] and actor and poet Sergio Amigo reading poems by Guantánamo prisoners.
Aisha Maniar, from the London Guantánamo Campaign, said: “We started this action five years ago to serve the United States government with a regular reminder on the doorstep of its embassy here in London that the whole world will not turn a blind eye to the regime of torture, arbitrary detention and lawlessness it has set up at Guantánamo Bay and elsewhere.
“Five years into our action and ten years after Guantánamo Bay opened its doors, the US government has clearly demonstrated that it has no intention of closing Guantánamo Bay any time soon or ending the regime it symbolises. Nonetheless, we remain resolved to see Guantánamo Bay shut down and justice for the prisoners, including the return of British residents Shaker Aamer [5] and Ahmed Belbacha [6] to this country. We call on residents and visitors to the capital who share our belief in and love for freedom and justice to join us. We will continue to maintain our regular presence outside the US Embassy until our demands are met.”
Contact: e-mail london.gtmo@gmail.com
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The London Guantánamo Campaign campaigns for justice for all prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, for the closure of this and other secret prisons, and an end to the practice of extraordinary rendition. http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com
2. Since February 2007, the London Guantánamo Campaign has held a regular protest outside the US Embassy in London, first on a weekly basis, until August 2008 and on a monthly basis since then. The protest calls for the return of British resident held at Guantánamo Bay to the UK, the closure of Guantánamo Bay and other similar prisons, such as Bagram in Afghanistan, and justice for the remaining prisoners, of whom there are currently 171. Over that period, this has included special actions held in solidarity with accused Wikileaks whistleblower Private Bradley Manning and other US prisoners, with Canadian child soldier Omar Khadr during his military tribunal, and to mark the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.
3. www.iceandfire.co.uk
4. http://iceandfire.co.uk/outreach/scripts/rendition-monologues
5. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is almost 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantánamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/shakeraamer/
6. Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian national who lived in Bournemouth from 1999 to 2001, was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. Never charged or tried, he was free to leave but has remained at Guantánamo Bay for want of a safe third country to return to. A court injunction in the USA has prevented his forced return to Algeria. http://www.reprieve.org.uk/cases/ahmedbelbacha/
Monday, January 30, 2012
LGC Newsletter – January 2012
NEWS:
Guantánamo Bay:
Guantánamo Bay had its tenth birthday on Wednesday 11 January. While this was marked by protests, meetings and other actions all over the world, the prisoners themselves chose to mark it with a hunger strike. According to a lawyer of some of the men held there, they also marked it with protests in the communal areas of the illegal prison.
During Prime Minister’s Question Time the day before, David Cameron told the House of Commons, in response to a question put to him, that: “The foreign secretary is working very hard with the United States to try and secure this issue and to bring this chapter to a close” and is seeking the release of Shaker Aamer to the United Kingdom; William Hague discussed the matter with his American counterpart at the end of 2011.
On 17 and 18 January, a military commission hearing was held at Guantánamo Bay in the case of Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri, for his alleged involvement in the bombing of a US warship off the coast of Yemen in 2000. Al-Nashiri faces the death penalty if convicted and the evidence in his case has in part been obtained through the use of torture, including waterboarding, when he was held at secret CIA facilities as a victim of extraordinary rendition between 2002 and 2004. During the two-day hearing, various motions were put to the judge concerning procedural matters in the case, such as having an open hearing, what evidence is to be used, and issues related to fairness and costs. Observers at this very important case noted that due to the complicated rules of military commissions and the lack of any judicial precedent for the judge to follow, many of these issues remained unresolved after the hearing, which has been set back until April, when these issues will be considered again. Observers from the ACLU concluded that were the trial to be held before a civil court, in such a case where the death penalty may be applied, the proceedings would progress much faster.
On 13 January, a senior Spanish judge reopened an investigation into four cases of torture alleged by prisoners formerly held at Guantánamo Bay. In making his decision, Judge Pablo Rafael Ruz Gutierrez sought additional information, including medical reports, NGO reports, and testimonies from former US military officials. Specific charges have not been brought yet pending further investigation. This case, brought under universal jurisdiction laws, followed a request by the Bush administration to Spain to prosecute a prisoner released to Spain, Lahcen Ikassrien, on terrorism charges. He was tried and convicted; however, the case was later thrown out on appeal as the evidence was unreliable as he had been tortured. He was joined in his complaint by another former Spanish prisoner and two British residents, whose extradition Spain had sought upon their release from Guantánamo Bay in 2007, Jamil El-Banna and Omar Deghayes. As the Obama administration has decided not to prosecute any officials for crimes related to Guantánamo Bay and the wider war on terror under the Bush administration, the Spanish judiciary will instead hold its own investigation.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/01/13/135861/spanish-judge-reopens-guantanamo.html
Following news of official investigations in the UK and Spain, a French investigating magistrate has made an official request to visit Guantánamo Bay as part of an investigation into allegations of torture and abuse by three former French prisoners. Judge Sophie Clement is also seeking all documents concerning procedures and conditions of prisoner treatment relating to the time that they were arrested and held in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The three former prisoners are Mourad Benchellali, Nizar Sassi and Khaled Ben Mustapha. She may also seek to question former and current US military personnel and prosecutions of foreign officials may be brought in France.
On 23 January, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, condemned the US government, on the third anniversary of President Obama’s broken promise to close the illegal jail, for having “entrenched a system of arbitrary detention” and the lack of accountability for human rights violations there. She also condemned the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which “make[s] matters worse”.
A former Algerian prisoner, Abdul Aziz Naji, who was forced to return to Algeria against his will by the Obama administration in 2010 after being cleared for released, has been sent to jail in Algeria following charges brought against him based on the unsubstantiated claims of membership of a terrorist organisation for which he was held at Guantánamo. A guilty verdict was delivered without any evidence being shown and Mr Naji, who is in poor health, was imprisoned. He plans to appeal. Upon return to Algeria in 2010, he “disappeared” immediately for over a week as he was held by the security forces.
Extraordinary rendition:
One of the men, in whose 2004 rendition to Libya the British government was found to be complicit, following documents found by Human Rights Watch in Tripoli in September last year, Abdul Hakim Belhadj, withdrew his participation in the Gibson (Detainee) Inquiry on 6 January. This followed a letter signed by several NGOs including Reprieve, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch asking the Inquiry to rethink its terms and procedures:
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/media/downloads/2012_01_06_PUB_Letter_to_the_Prime_Minister_re_the_Detainee_Inquiry.pdf
On 12 January, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keir Starmer QC, announced that criminal investigations into the complicity of an intelligence service officer in the torture of Binyam Mohamed and another separate case concerning a prisoner elsewhere would not continue and there will be no prosecutions, due to a lack of evidence, in spite of the seriousness of the allegations. http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/press_statements/joint_statement_by_the_director_of_public_prosecutions_and_the_metropolitan_police_service/
At the same time, however, they announced that a criminal investigation would be held into the allegations of British intelligence complicity in the rendition to Libya of Abdul Hakim Belhadj and his family and Sami Al-Saadi. Both men who started proceedings to sue the government for its complicity in November are said to be pleased to cooperate with this criminal inquiry. The CPS also announced that it had set up a panel to consider other serious complaints, including one made by Shaker Aamer; officers may seek to question him about it at Guantánamo Bay. Shaker Aamer alleges that a British intelligence officer was present throughout while he was being abused during an interrogation at Bagram. A former Algerian prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, who had lived in the UK, Ahcene Zemeri, has made similar claims and these too will be investigated. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16523249
Those to be interviewed by the police as part of these criminal inquiries may include former ministers, such as Jack Straw, and senior civil servants and intelligence officers.
The announcement of the new criminal inquiries and the suspension of the earlier inquiries called into question how much of a delay this would constitute to the proceedings of the Gibson (Detainee) Inquiry; the inquiry cannot start while there are ongoing criminal inquiries into similar matters. As a consequence, on 19 January, the Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke announced in the House of Commons that the Detainee would not be going ahead but that the government is still committed to a judge-led inquiry into the allegations of abuse once these criminal inquiries are concluded. The Detainee Inquiry has been subject to considerable criticism; most of the individuals making the complaints it was to investigate, their lawyers and human rights NGOs had already withdrawn from its proceedings. Nonetheless, an investigation into these matters – one that is effective, transparent, comprehensive and offers remedies to the victims – is vital. As the inquiry has started its preliminary work, it will provide a report of its findings thus far to parliament in due course.
As part of ongoing negotiations between the US and Afghan governments, including concerning the repatriation of Afghan nationals held at Guantánamo Bay, the Afghan president Hamid Karzai has demanded that control of Bagram be handed over to the Afghan authorities. In considering this, the US administration is currently considering releasing the 50 or so non-Afghan nationals (out of a prison population of 2400+) currently held at Bagram, who are mostly Pakistani and Arab. This also comes further to an order by the High Court in London that Pakistani prisoner Yunus Rahmatullah, held without charge or trial since 2004, must be returned to British custody by 14 February. He is likely to be one of the first prisoners to be released.
LGC Activities:
To mark the 10th anniversary of Guantánamo Bay, the London Guantánamo Campaign held a rally on Saturday 7 January at 2-4pm in Trafalgar Square, “Shut Guantánamo – End 10 Years of Shame”, organised with the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, the Stop The War Coalition and the Campaign Against Nuclear Disarmament: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com/2012/01/shut-guantanamo-end-ten-years-of-shame.html A few hundred people joined the rally and a prisoner parade to represent each of the remaining 171 prisoners was held.
On 11 January, the actual anniversary date, the LGC delivered a petition to the US Embassy, signed by over 400 people, demanding the closure of Guantánamo Bay and the release and return to the UK of prisoners Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha. http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=5684
On 3 February, at 6-8pm, the LGC will mark the fifth anniversary of its regular “Shut Down Guantánamo!” protest outside the US Embassy with a candlelight vigil. We will be joined by a performance from The Rendition Monologues by Actors for Human Rights and actor Sergio Amigo reading poems by Guantánamo prisoners.
Guantánamo Bay:
Guantánamo Bay had its tenth birthday on Wednesday 11 January. While this was marked by protests, meetings and other actions all over the world, the prisoners themselves chose to mark it with a hunger strike. According to a lawyer of some of the men held there, they also marked it with protests in the communal areas of the illegal prison.
During Prime Minister’s Question Time the day before, David Cameron told the House of Commons, in response to a question put to him, that: “The foreign secretary is working very hard with the United States to try and secure this issue and to bring this chapter to a close” and is seeking the release of Shaker Aamer to the United Kingdom; William Hague discussed the matter with his American counterpart at the end of 2011.
On 17 and 18 January, a military commission hearing was held at Guantánamo Bay in the case of Abd Al-Rahim Al-Nashiri, for his alleged involvement in the bombing of a US warship off the coast of Yemen in 2000. Al-Nashiri faces the death penalty if convicted and the evidence in his case has in part been obtained through the use of torture, including waterboarding, when he was held at secret CIA facilities as a victim of extraordinary rendition between 2002 and 2004. During the two-day hearing, various motions were put to the judge concerning procedural matters in the case, such as having an open hearing, what evidence is to be used, and issues related to fairness and costs. Observers at this very important case noted that due to the complicated rules of military commissions and the lack of any judicial precedent for the judge to follow, many of these issues remained unresolved after the hearing, which has been set back until April, when these issues will be considered again. Observers from the ACLU concluded that were the trial to be held before a civil court, in such a case where the death penalty may be applied, the proceedings would progress much faster.
On 13 January, a senior Spanish judge reopened an investigation into four cases of torture alleged by prisoners formerly held at Guantánamo Bay. In making his decision, Judge Pablo Rafael Ruz Gutierrez sought additional information, including medical reports, NGO reports, and testimonies from former US military officials. Specific charges have not been brought yet pending further investigation. This case, brought under universal jurisdiction laws, followed a request by the Bush administration to Spain to prosecute a prisoner released to Spain, Lahcen Ikassrien, on terrorism charges. He was tried and convicted; however, the case was later thrown out on appeal as the evidence was unreliable as he had been tortured. He was joined in his complaint by another former Spanish prisoner and two British residents, whose extradition Spain had sought upon their release from Guantánamo Bay in 2007, Jamil El-Banna and Omar Deghayes. As the Obama administration has decided not to prosecute any officials for crimes related to Guantánamo Bay and the wider war on terror under the Bush administration, the Spanish judiciary will instead hold its own investigation.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/01/13/135861/spanish-judge-reopens-guantanamo.html
Following news of official investigations in the UK and Spain, a French investigating magistrate has made an official request to visit Guantánamo Bay as part of an investigation into allegations of torture and abuse by three former French prisoners. Judge Sophie Clement is also seeking all documents concerning procedures and conditions of prisoner treatment relating to the time that they were arrested and held in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The three former prisoners are Mourad Benchellali, Nizar Sassi and Khaled Ben Mustapha. She may also seek to question former and current US military personnel and prosecutions of foreign officials may be brought in France.
On 23 January, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, condemned the US government, on the third anniversary of President Obama’s broken promise to close the illegal jail, for having “entrenched a system of arbitrary detention” and the lack of accountability for human rights violations there. She also condemned the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which “make[s] matters worse”.
A former Algerian prisoner, Abdul Aziz Naji, who was forced to return to Algeria against his will by the Obama administration in 2010 after being cleared for released, has been sent to jail in Algeria following charges brought against him based on the unsubstantiated claims of membership of a terrorist organisation for which he was held at Guantánamo. A guilty verdict was delivered without any evidence being shown and Mr Naji, who is in poor health, was imprisoned. He plans to appeal. Upon return to Algeria in 2010, he “disappeared” immediately for over a week as he was held by the security forces.
Extraordinary rendition:
One of the men, in whose 2004 rendition to Libya the British government was found to be complicit, following documents found by Human Rights Watch in Tripoli in September last year, Abdul Hakim Belhadj, withdrew his participation in the Gibson (Detainee) Inquiry on 6 January. This followed a letter signed by several NGOs including Reprieve, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch asking the Inquiry to rethink its terms and procedures:
http://www.reprieve.org.uk/media/downloads/2012_01_06_PUB_Letter_to_the_Prime_Minister_re_the_Detainee_Inquiry.pdf
On 12 January, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keir Starmer QC, announced that criminal investigations into the complicity of an intelligence service officer in the torture of Binyam Mohamed and another separate case concerning a prisoner elsewhere would not continue and there will be no prosecutions, due to a lack of evidence, in spite of the seriousness of the allegations. http://www.cps.gov.uk/news/press_statements/joint_statement_by_the_director_of_public_prosecutions_and_the_metropolitan_police_service/
At the same time, however, they announced that a criminal investigation would be held into the allegations of British intelligence complicity in the rendition to Libya of Abdul Hakim Belhadj and his family and Sami Al-Saadi. Both men who started proceedings to sue the government for its complicity in November are said to be pleased to cooperate with this criminal inquiry. The CPS also announced that it had set up a panel to consider other serious complaints, including one made by Shaker Aamer; officers may seek to question him about it at Guantánamo Bay. Shaker Aamer alleges that a British intelligence officer was present throughout while he was being abused during an interrogation at Bagram. A former Algerian prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, who had lived in the UK, Ahcene Zemeri, has made similar claims and these too will be investigated. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16523249
Those to be interviewed by the police as part of these criminal inquiries may include former ministers, such as Jack Straw, and senior civil servants and intelligence officers.
The announcement of the new criminal inquiries and the suspension of the earlier inquiries called into question how much of a delay this would constitute to the proceedings of the Gibson (Detainee) Inquiry; the inquiry cannot start while there are ongoing criminal inquiries into similar matters. As a consequence, on 19 January, the Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke announced in the House of Commons that the Detainee would not be going ahead but that the government is still committed to a judge-led inquiry into the allegations of abuse once these criminal inquiries are concluded. The Detainee Inquiry has been subject to considerable criticism; most of the individuals making the complaints it was to investigate, their lawyers and human rights NGOs had already withdrawn from its proceedings. Nonetheless, an investigation into these matters – one that is effective, transparent, comprehensive and offers remedies to the victims – is vital. As the inquiry has started its preliminary work, it will provide a report of its findings thus far to parliament in due course.
As part of ongoing negotiations between the US and Afghan governments, including concerning the repatriation of Afghan nationals held at Guantánamo Bay, the Afghan president Hamid Karzai has demanded that control of Bagram be handed over to the Afghan authorities. In considering this, the US administration is currently considering releasing the 50 or so non-Afghan nationals (out of a prison population of 2400+) currently held at Bagram, who are mostly Pakistani and Arab. This also comes further to an order by the High Court in London that Pakistani prisoner Yunus Rahmatullah, held without charge or trial since 2004, must be returned to British custody by 14 February. He is likely to be one of the first prisoners to be released.
LGC Activities:
To mark the 10th anniversary of Guantánamo Bay, the London Guantánamo Campaign held a rally on Saturday 7 January at 2-4pm in Trafalgar Square, “Shut Guantánamo – End 10 Years of Shame”, organised with the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, the Stop The War Coalition and the Campaign Against Nuclear Disarmament: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com/2012/01/shut-guantanamo-end-ten-years-of-shame.html A few hundred people joined the rally and a prisoner parade to represent each of the remaining 171 prisoners was held.
On 11 January, the actual anniversary date, the LGC delivered a petition to the US Embassy, signed by over 400 people, demanding the closure of Guantánamo Bay and the release and return to the UK of prisoners Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha. http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=5684
On 3 February, at 6-8pm, the LGC will mark the fifth anniversary of its regular “Shut Down Guantánamo!” protest outside the US Embassy with a candlelight vigil. We will be joined by a performance from The Rendition Monologues by Actors for Human Rights and actor Sergio Amigo reading poems by Guantánamo prisoners.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Shut Down Guantánamo! - Candlelight Vigil to Mark Fifth Anniversary of Protest, 3 February
Friday 3 February. 6-8pm, outside the US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE (nearest underground: Bond Street/ Marble Arch)
A decade since the arrival of the first twenty inmates at Guantánamo Bay, the campaign to close the extra-legal US military prison and torture camp is far from over.
In February 2007, the London Guantánamo Campaign began a regular presence outside the US embassy in Mayfair, calling for the return of the eight British residents still being held indefinitely at the US naval base on an occupied corner of Cuba, and for the closure of this legal black hole. Six of the men have since been released, all but one of them to the UK.
Five years on, the prison camp is still open and two British residents remain: Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha. Over that period, we have held weekly - for the first year and a half - and then monthly demonstrations, which continue to this day. These have included special actions, such as in solidarity with accused Wikileaks whistleblower Private Bradley Manning and other US prisoners, with Canadian child soldier Omar Khadr during his military tribunal, and to mark the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.
To mark our five years of witness, we will hold a special two-hour candlelight vigil on Friday 3 February, 6-8pm. Please join us.
We will have some special performances from 6.30-7.30pm, including:
- Actors for Human Rights, performing from the Rendition Monologues- Sergio Amigo, actor / performer, reading poems by the prisoners
If you are a spoken word artist and would like to contribute, please get in touch.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/283567015033347
All are welcome. For more details, e-mail london.gtmo@gmail.com or call 07809 757 176
Report of the very first demonstration in February 2007: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/02/362319.html
A decade since the arrival of the first twenty inmates at Guantánamo Bay, the campaign to close the extra-legal US military prison and torture camp is far from over.
In February 2007, the London Guantánamo Campaign began a regular presence outside the US embassy in Mayfair, calling for the return of the eight British residents still being held indefinitely at the US naval base on an occupied corner of Cuba, and for the closure of this legal black hole. Six of the men have since been released, all but one of them to the UK.
Five years on, the prison camp is still open and two British residents remain: Shaker Aamer and Ahmed Belbacha. Over that period, we have held weekly - for the first year and a half - and then monthly demonstrations, which continue to this day. These have included special actions, such as in solidarity with accused Wikileaks whistleblower Private Bradley Manning and other US prisoners, with Canadian child soldier Omar Khadr during his military tribunal, and to mark the tenth anniversary of the war in Afghanistan.
To mark our five years of witness, we will hold a special two-hour candlelight vigil on Friday 3 February, 6-8pm. Please join us.
We will have some special performances from 6.30-7.30pm, including:
- Actors for Human Rights, performing from the Rendition Monologues- Sergio Amigo, actor / performer, reading poems by the prisoners
If you are a spoken word artist and would like to contribute, please get in touch.
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/283567015033347
All are welcome. For more details, e-mail london.gtmo@gmail.com or call 07809 757 176
Report of the very first demonstration in February 2007: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/02/362319.html
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