Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab, 45, spent 12 years at Guantánamo without charge or trial. Cleared for release in 2010, he was eventually released to Uruguay as a Syrian refugee with five others in December 2014.
In 2013,
Dhiab (also known as Abu Wa’el Dhiab, or Diyab) took part in the mass hunger
strike involving the majority of prisoners, and remained on hunger strike until
his release. As a result, he was very weak and underweight when released and
continues to walk on crutches.
He was
beaten, placed in solitary confinement and subject to force feeding by nasal
tube at Guantánamo while on hunger strike. He sued the US government to force
them to stop force feeding him in a manner the UN has stated is tantamount to
torture. A judge has ordered that videos showing the brutal way in which Dhiab
was tortured are disclosed; the court case is ongoing and the US government is
fighting tooth and nail to prevent their disclosure. In recent weeks it has
claimed that such disclosure could aid terrorists; in truth, it would be hugely
embarrassing to the US government.
Adapting to
life in Uruguay as refugees and survivors of torture has not been easy for
Dhiab and the other former prisoners. As well as isolation, media demonisation,
destitution and an inability to speak Spanish, a key issue for Dhiab has been
reunification with his family, some of whom remain in war-torn Syria and others
who are currently refugees in Turkey.
The
Uruguayan government has promised on numerous occasions to bring them to
Uruguay. This has not happened and Dhiab would not be able to host them on a
meagre stipend he receives and which is due to run out at the end of the year.
He has instead demanded he is sent to Turkey or any Middle Eastern country that
will accept him and his family.
In June
Dhiab briefly disappeared from Uruguay. The media deliberately and wrongly
claimed he had travelled to Brazil and was planning to sabotage the Olympic
Games in Rio. Instead, he reappeared at the Uruguayan Embassy in Venezuela in
July and again demanded to be sent to Turkey to be with his wife and children.
Upon leaving the embassy, he was arrested and held incommunicado by the
Venezuelan authorities who denied him access to his lawyer, effectively holding
him as he was held at Guantánamo. He was returned to Uruguay in late August.
Dhiab has been on hunger strike since 12th
August and has refused liquids since 1st September. He has been
hospitalised twice and on 14th September was in a coma for over 9
hours. He is demanding to be sent to Turkey or any other Middle Eastern country
which will accept them where he can live peacefully with his wife and children.
The Uruguayan authorities are currently trying to find such a country but claim
it is proving difficult.
It is
inevitable that the US is also involved; the pressure on Dhiab is clearly a
dimension of the US’ efforts to force Dhiab to give up his lawsuit in the US.
The right to family life is a human right.
More
information:
Why Is a
Former Guantánamo Prisoner on Hunger Strike in Uruguay? http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/37545-why-is-a-former-guantanamo-prisoner-on-hunger-strike-in-uruguay
Amy Goodman
interviews Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab on Democracy Now!: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/9/16/headlines/exclusive_ex_gitmo_prisoner_dhiab_awakes_from_coma_in_uruguay
Support group on Facebook (in Spanish): https://www.facebook.com/Vigilia-por-Jihad-Deyab-1111044535630957/
Support group on Facebook (in Spanish): https://www.facebook.com/Vigilia-por-Jihad-Deyab-1111044535630957/
Update:
TAKE
ACTION!
There are
two things you can do to help support Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab:
1) Please
sign and share the following petition to the President of Uruguay demanding
that his government takes urgent action to reunite the Dhiab family: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Dr_Tabare_Vazquez_President_of_Uruguay_Save_the_Life_of_Mr_JDhiab_on_Hunger_Strike_in_Uruguay/
2) Send an
individualised letter (in English or Spanish) to the President of Uruguay
demanding:
- the
Uruguay government takes immediate steps to find a safe third country for Dhiab
and his family to be resettled together
- the
Uruguay government provides him with the resources to make this happen
A draft
letter is provided below:
Your
Excellency,
I am writing
to you concerning Mr Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab, a Syrian refugee in your
country who was previously held without charge or trial by the United States at
Guantánamo Bay for over 12 years. Mr Dhiab has been on hunger strike since August in protest at the fact that almost two years since his release he has
not been reunited with his family in spite of repeat promises.
Since family
reunification in Uruguay does not appear to be feasible, I urge you to take
urgent measures to send Mr Dhiab to a Middle Eastern or Arab country where he
can live peacefully together with his family, who are also refugees. Mr Dhiab
has been in a coma and has been hospitalised several times. His situation is
worsening. I therefore urge to look into and resolve this as a matter of
urgency.
Send letters
to:
His
Excellency Dr Tabare Vazquez
President of
the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Torre
Ejecutiva, Plaza Independencia 710
11.000
Montevideo Uruguay
No comments:
Post a Comment