LGC Newsletter – June 2012

NEWS:

British Residents:The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (SSAC) held an action opposite Parliament on 11 June to protest Shaker Aamer’s continuing detention and denial of basic rights and to commemorate the anniversary of the Magna Carta. Over a dozen activists braved the rain and were joined by Battersea MP Jane Ellison.
Guantánamo Bay:
On 11 June, the US Supreme Court turned down appeals from 7 Guantánamo prisoners who had filed habeas corpus writs, to know the reasons for their detention. In the past, by filing such applications, which then reveal that there is no lawful basis for the continued detention of prisoners, as happened in the case of the Uighur prisoners, judges have ordered their release. In this particular case, the judges simply dismissed the appeal without giving reasons. Over the past few years, it has become increasingly difficult for prisoners to fight and appeal their cases in the US courts and their lawyers have laid the blame for this on conservative judges being appointed to the Supreme Court. The dismissed appeal effectively closes the door to these prisoners to know why they have been detained without charge or trial for over ten years and then being able to challenge that reason. For almost 800 years, this has been a basic tenet of the law.
For more on this news:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-declines-guantanamo-detainee-appeals/2012/06/11/gJQA5dElVV_story.html

On 21 June, lawyers for Omar Khadr accused the Canadian government of “stonewalling” on his case. Khadr, 25, is a Canadian national who was convicted in a secret plea bargain on terrorism charges in a trial that involved torture evidence and was the first time anyone had been tried for war crimes committed as a minor since the Second World War. Under this deal, he was due to serve part of his sentence in Canada. That was almost one year ago. Earlier this year, the US and Canadian governments agreed that he would be released by the end of May. More than a month later, there has not been much progress made in this respect. According to his lawyer, John Norris, Omar Khadr and the US have performed their part of the deal for him to be released to Canada and it is the Canadian government that is dragging its heels. He said, “Omar has lived up to his part of his deal. The United States has lived up to its part of the deal. The only reason eight months after he became eligible to return to Canada that Omar still sits in a cell in Guantanamo is because the Canadian government continues to fail in its obligations toward him”.
More on this news: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/lawyers-for-guantanamo-detainee-appeal-to-canada-for-transfer/2012/06/21/gJQAysoItV_story.html

Extraordinary rendition:
Having published the Justice and Security Bill last month, the government’s proposed plans, to introduce secret trials and prevent some cases concerning “national security” being brought, are continuing to court controversy as they work their way through the House of Lords. Shortly after the bill was published, the Lords Constitution Select Committee and the special advocates, the security-vetted barristers who would be used in such secret trials, both published critical responses to the Bill. Concerns continue to be raised about the fairness and constitutionality of the proposals, which would undermine the right to a fair trial and other centuries-old legal principles. The parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights is also continuing its hearings into the bill, given the seriousness of the measures.
A Radio 4 “File on Four” programme assesses some of the issues involved: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01jxrdf

On 28 June, Abdel Hakim Belhaj, Sami Al-Saadi and their families started legal proceedings in the high court in London against the British government, former foreign minister Jack Straw and former MI6 chief Mark Allen for their rendition to torture in Libya in 2004. Shortly thereafter, relations between the UK and Libya thawed and it was no longer considered a rogue state. Tony Blair visited Colonel Gaddafi personally and trade and diplomatic relations were resumed. According to papers found in Libya by Human Rights Watch last year, the CIA considered this “rendition” a joint UK/US operation. The families are suing the UK authorities for their involvement in their torture and rendition. This civil case is being brought alongside a current criminal investigation by the police. Belhaj and Al-Saadi have also initiated proceedings against other states.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/28/libyan-dissidents-action-government-rendition?newsfeed=true

LGC Activities:
The June “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration was held on 7th June and was attended by 5 people. The July demonstration is exceptionally being held on WEDNESDAY 4 July at 12-2pm outside the US Embassy to mark US Independence Day: http://www.facebook.com/events/410685492303956/

The LGC held a vigil to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and the 25th anniversary of the UN Convention Against Torture in Trafalgar Square on Tuesday 26 June. Around 50 people attended and held up placards in different languages with one simple message: “No to Torture”. The vigil attracted attention from passers-by and the LGC was joined by different organisations and campaigns. The LGC thanks everyone who attended and helped in the preparation. There is a report of the event on our blog with links to other media about it and the anniversary: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/london-says-no-to-torture-vigil-report.html  

London Says "No To Torture!" - vigil report

This report with pictures: http://london.indymedia.org/articles/12467

Always one step ahead, weeks before the Olympic Games kick off, the London Guantánamo Campaign (LGC) brought a display of international spirit to the heart of the capital with a multilingual “No to Torture” vigil in Trafalgar Square to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and the twenty fifth anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Torture becoming law on 26 June 1987. Around 50 people joined in, holding up banners in over 30 different languages with one simple message, “NO TO TORTURE”. We were joined by anti-war campaigners from the Stop The War Coalition, human rights activists from Amnesty International, the Free Mumia Campaign, Free Bradley Manning, Hands off Somalia and Baloch activists.

With its display of one simple message in over 30 languages, including Arabic, Persian, Indonesian, Swahili, Finnish, Greek, Russian, Hebrew and others, the action was a hit with tourists and passers-by who engaged with its simple message and stopped to check if their own language was included and to see how many they read and/or identify. Lots of people stopped to talk to the activists and expressed their support. That torture is always wrong and illegal is quite obvious to ordinary people; unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the politicians who sign the very instruments that ban it.

The purpose of this quiet and dignified vigil was to mark this date and this anniversary and show solidarity with victims of torture the world over, most of who suffer in silence and terribly, long after the immediate physical and psychological terror has ended.

London politicians Sarah Ludford MEP and Jeremy Corbyn MP gave their apologies for not being able to attend. Green MEP Jean Lambert made the following statement on the twenty-fifth anniversary about the work of the European parliament on torture investigation:

“The claims that British intelligence services have not been complicit in torture or rendition are continuing to crumble. Indeed, the recent scrapping of the Gibson Inquiry is further proof that successive UK governments are attempting to sweep the ugly matter under the carpet in the vain hope that it will magically disappear.

“In the European Parliament, we will often criticise third-country regimes for subjecting citizens to physical and mental acts of torture; where authorities that should protect individuals are complicit in crimes against them. Yet, those regimes use the behaviour of governments such as our own and the US to combat that criticism.

“The Parliament inquiry into alleged complicity in torture, led by Greens/EFA MEP Helene Flautre, is beginning to shine a light on the role played by Member States in exposing terrorism suspects to illegal treatment. Poland must also be given credit for breaking its silence over claims that a ‘secret’ CIA prison camp was operating within its borders. There is no doubt that this process of self-examination will be painful, but we must be clear – only be adopting a zero tolerance approach both at home and abroad can we put an end to torture for good.”

Joy Hurcombe, the chair of the Save Shaker Aamer, made the following statement on this anniversary:

“June 26th, is the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture to remind the world that torture is a crime against humanity in international law. For over ten years, British resident Shaker Aamer has been imprisoned without charge or trial in Guantanamo, where he is routinely tortured. A recent shocking report from his US lawyer has been forwarded to David Cameron. This states that Shaker Aamer remains in solitary confinement, suffering daily beatings and abuse. He is deprived of sleep, medication and basic necessities including toilet paper, cup and comb. The UK and US Government could also mark the day by ending the ordeal of our victim of torture. By doing nothing, both countries are guilty of state-sponsored torture.”

Please join us at our next action - a lunchtime demo (12-2pm) outside the US Embassy in Mayfair – on US Independence Day, Wednesday 4th July, where we revert to our more usual orange and black attire (not mandatory).
Media on this event:

http://www.demotix.com/news/1301071/no-torture-vigil-london
http://www.demotix.com/news/1301327/international-day-support-victims-torture-marked-london 
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.428885783818930.96880.114010671973111 

Aisha Maniar from the London Guantánamo Campaign wrote the following article about the anniversary:

http://onesmallwindow.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/no-torture-porn-in-court-please-were-british/

Andy Worthington wrote the following article:

http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/06/26/on-25th-anniversary-of-un-convention-against-torture-khalid-sheikh-mohammeds-lawyers-submit-case-to-rapporteur/  

MEDIA RELEASE: 25 Years of UN Convention Against Torture: Human Rights Activists Say "NO to Torture" in Torture Victims' Day Vigil in Trafalgar Square, 6-8pm

26th June 2012 - for immediate release


The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] and human rights activists will hold up banners saying "NO to torture" in over 30 languages at a vigil to mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture [2] and the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Torture [3] on the north side of Trafalgar Square, outside the National Gallery, at 6-8pm today.

Aisha Maniar, a spokesperson for the London Guantánamo Campaign, says, "After the horrors of World War II, the world said "never, never again", but it quickly changed its mind. Instruments like the Convention Against Torture and the European Convention on Human Rights were introduced to make states honour the obligations they signed up to, but the failure continues, particularly on this most basic of rights, to protect the most vulnerable in society.
"In the twenty first century, a pernicious new angle has been added to the practice of torture: outsourcing through extraordinary rendition, an international crime almost all states have played a part in. As well as standing in solidarity, we demand accountability for all victims. The demonisation of victims, as asylum seekers, suspected "terrorists" and insurgents must stop; the true criminals, those guilty of crimes against humanity, must instead be prosecuted.
"The twenty-fifth anniversary provides a good opportunity for reflection, one that is unlikely to be taken. The government's recent introduction of the Justice and Security Bill [4], tipped more in favour of the latter, should not be used as a method of preventing disclosure of involvement in torture and denying victims the right to justice."

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. In 1998, the United Nations consecrated 26 June each year as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: http://www.un.org/en/events/torturevictimsday/
3. The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment came into force internationally on 26 June 1987: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cat.htm

4. Justice and Security Bill, published 29 May 2012: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2012-2013/0027/lbill_2012-20130027_en_1.htm

MEDIA RELEASE: Magna Carta Anniversary Marked with Death of Habeas Corpus Rights for Guantánamo Bay Prisoners

MEDIA RELEASE: Magna Carta Anniversary Marked with Death of Habeas Corpus Rights for Guantánamo Bay Prisoners
14th June 2012 – for immediate release
The London Guantánamo Campaign [1] regrets the decision of the American Supreme Court, on 11 June, to reject petitions from 7 Guantánamo Bay prisoners [2], held without charge or trial for over a decade, to challenge the basis of their detention. This comes in the same week as the 797th anniversary of the Magna Carta, on Friday 15 June, conferring the rights to a fair trial and habeas corpus [3], among others, for almost the past eight centuries. The court gave no reason for its decision to overturn this basic right it had earlier upheld.

On the same day, 11 June, the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign [4] marked this upcoming anniversary with a protest outside Parliament calling for the release and return of British resident Shaker Aamer [5] to the UK and demanding that the government uphold his rights under Articles 39 and 40 [6] of the Magna Carta.

Aisha Maniar, a spokesperson for the London Guantánamo Campaign, says, “Almost eight centuries of hard fought-for and secured basic legal rights and liberties have been eroded through over a decade of indefinite detention and mistreatment under Presidents Bush and Obama at Guantánamo Bay and other places like it. Basic rights have been denied not just to these prisoners, but to all: the logical extension to this regime is the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA 2012) recently passed by the US government.

“The British government has fared no better through its failure to secure the release of British resident Shaker Aamer, who has been detained by the US without charge or trial at Guantánamo Bay for over a decade, and its current efforts in the Justice and Security Bill to deny claimants the right to open justice and a fair hearing. Where then is the protection for ordinary citizens against arbitrary acts of the state?”

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/
The London Guantánamo Campaign will mark International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, on 26 June, with a vigil in Trafalgar Square at 6-8pm: http://londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/26-june-london-saysno-to-torture.html

2. http://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/061112zor.pdf The prisoners are from the 40 detainees remaining at the camp who do not face trial or charges but have been held for over a decade without knowing the grounds for their detention. 169 prisoners remain in total.
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/06/06/exclusive-guantanamo-scandal-the-40-prisoners-still-held-but-cleared-for-release-at-least-five-years-ago
3. The Magna Carta was signed in 1215, a charter granting rights and freedoms to ordinary subjects. It is a cornerstone of the English legal and constitutional system and has influenced American and international law.
Habeas corpus is an application made by a prisoner, or on their behalf, to a court for said prisoner to know whether there is sufficient cause and evidence for continued detention. It is considered to safeguard individual freedoms against arbitrary state action.
In 2008, in the case of Boumediene v Bush (http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=US&vol=000&invol=06-1195), the Supreme Court held that this constitutional right – to know the case against you and reasons for detention - extended to prisoners held at Guantánamo Bay.
4. http://www.saveshaker.org/

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. 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. Article 39. No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.
Article 40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice.
http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/index.html 

26 June: London Says...No to Torture!

An Invitation from The London Guantánamo Campaign

LONDON SAYS … NO TO TORTURE!

June 26th each year is International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (http://www.un.org/events/torture/). The London Guantánamo Campaign invites you to join us for a vigil to show solidarity with all victims of torture all over the world.

Tuesday 26 June 6-8pm

Trafalgar Square

(north side – outside the National Gallery)

For more details: e-mail london.gtmo@gmail.com

Or call 07809 757 176

www.londonguantanamocampaign.blogspot.com

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/176774015784254/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/shutguantanamo 

LGC Newsletter – May 2012

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.

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/

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.

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

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/