NEWS:
Guantánamo Bay:
The extralegal US-run prison camp at Guantánamo Bay has now been open longer
under the administration of Barack Obama than it was under George Bush.
Over January, 16 prisoners have been released – the largest number of
transfers in one month under Obama – bringing the number of remaining prisoners
to 91. As always, not all of the transfers have gone smoothly. The first
transfers were on 6 January, of two Saudi-born Yemeni prisoners: Khalid al
Dhuby, 34, who was cleared for release in 2006, and Mahmoud Omar Bin Atef, 36, who was cleared for release in 2009.
As part of the deal, in return for US aid and cover by the US of their costs,
Ghana agreed to take the two prisoners, and former Rwandan prisoners. The
agreement is for two years and Ghanaian media has reported that the men have refugee
status for that time. However, their move to the country has not been welcomed
in many quarters.
The next prisoner to be released on 8 January
was Fayiz Al-Kandari, the last Kuwaiti prisoner held at
Guantánamo, who was cleared for release by the prisoner review board in 2015. He
will have to undergo a rehabilitation programme before going home, but has been
reunited with his family and other former prisoners.
Saudi prisoner, Muhammed Abd Al Rahman Awn
Al-Shamran, who was also cleared by the
prisoner review board last year, was released home on the fourteenth
anniversary of Guantánamo opening, 11 January.
A few days later, 10
Yemenis were sent to Oman, which has agreed to settle them until the situation
in Yemen is safe enough for them to return home.
On this same day, Barack Obama's plan to close Guantánamo was submitted
to Congress. It has yet to be made public but is likely to involve transferring
some prisoners to US mainland prison facilities and effectively continuing indefinite
detention without charge. Nonetheless, it has been reported that his plans for transfer
to the US mainland, which has been blocked for many years by Congress, and
could take place through the use of executive action, may be illegal.
The last releases of January
were on the 21st when Egyptian prisoner Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed Al Sawah was sent to Bosnia and Yemeni prisoner Abdul Aziz al-Swidi was sent to Montenegro. A third prisoner, Yemeni
Mohammed Ali Abdullah Bwazir, refused to leave Guantánamo at the last minute if
he was not going to be reunited with his family and would be sent to a country
he does not know. His lawyer said that he is fearful of what will happen there.
The country was not identified.
34 of the remaining prisoners are cleared
for release and no schedule has been set for when there are likely to be any
more transfers, either to home or third countries.
Two more prisoners
have been cleared for release by the prisoner review board in January: Yemeni
Zahir Hamdoun, 36, was the first to be cleared.
This was followed by the clearance of his compatriot Mustafa Abd al-Qawi Abd al-Aziz al-Shamiri, 37, who is reported to
have been held for so long due to a case of mistaken identity. At his board
hearing in December, allegations of him being a senior Al-Qaeda trainer were dismissed.
This does not, however, explain why he was held for so long or continues to be
held. His lawyers have said that he will go to any country that accepts him.
Three prisoners have come before the review board in January: Yemenis Majid Mahmud Adbu Ahmed and Yassim Qasim Mohammed Ismail Qasim, and
Afghan Haji Hamidullah.
Former Guantánamo
prisoner Younis Chekkouri, who was released home to Morocco in September 2015
where he has since been held in prison without charge, was due to have a
hearing on 6 January. This hearing was put back to 26 January, and in a fourth
delay, without any charges having been brought against Chekkouri, the judge has
now put the hearing back to 9 February. His Moroccan lawyer claims that the accusations
against him do not fall under Moroccan anti-terrorism laws.
On 29 January, former
prisoner Omar Khadr had his bail conditions in Canada reduced to allow him to
stay out past his midnight curfew for work or educational purposes, as he
studies to become an emergency medical responder. Further issues will be
discussed at a hearing next month. Khadr was released on bail in May 2015 as he
appeals his military tribunal conviction in the US. The new Canadian government
has been asked to drop an appeal against his bail status but it has not yet
responded. http://edmontonjournal.com/news/national/edmonton-court-relaxes-omar-khadrs-bail-conditions
Since late December, new rules for psychologists from the American Psychological Association (APA) mean that they can no
longer treat prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, only soldiers. This has meant that
psychologists have been withdrawn from a large number of activities involving
prisoners at the prison. However, the Pentagon has since asked for the use of
psychologists to be reinstated and the rules to be relaxed.
Extraordinary Rendition:
Former British
citizen Mahdi Hashi, a victim of extraordinary rendition, after he was
kidnapped in Djibouti in 2012, who claims that he was tortured and abused with
British and US knowledge when he “disappeared” before resurfacing months later
in FBI custody, was sentenced to 9 years by a New York court on 29 January on
charges of supporting the Al Shabaab militia group in Somalia, where he was
born. Following his “disappearance”, he was stripped of his British nationality
and an appeal is still pending before the UK courts.
LGC Activities:
The LGC marked the 14th
anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo Bay in 2002 with a candlelight vigil –
“History in the Making” – outside the US Embassy. More than 100 people joined
the action on a cold evening and demonstrators were joined by a number of
former British national and resident prisoners, including Shaker Aamer and
Moazzam Begg who spoke on the open mic. The names of the remaining 103
prisoners at the time were read out and other prisoner campaigners spoke as
well and joined the demonstration. A full report can be read at:
The February Shut Guantánamo demonstration is
on Thursday 4 February at 12-1pm outside the US Embassy and 1.15-2.15pm outside
Speaker’s Corner, Hyde Park (opposite Marble Arch). As well as being the first
monthly demo of 2016, this event also marks the ninth anniversary of our
regular demonstrations outside the US Embassy, calling for Guantánamo to close
and in solidarity with the prisoners. Please join us if you can. For more
details: https://www.facebook.com/events/1664483827101975/
The LGC (@shutguantanamo) is continuing to
hold weekly #GitmObama Twitter storms to raise awareness about Guantánamo
prisoners every Monday at 9pm GMT. A special Twitter storm was held on the 14th
anniversary. A pastebin is available http://pastebin.com/zpx5F7ab
which is updated weekly with the latest information and tweets to raise
awareness about Guantánamo. Please join us online if you can!
2016 marks the 10th anniversary of
the London Guantánamo Campaign! We’ve been busy in that time, campaigning for 8
British residents, other Guantánamo prisoners, against torture and other
prisons in the so-called war on terror, and supporting other prisoner
campaigns. You can read about our early days and unique campaigning methods
here – the history of the LGC during the Bush years https://onesmallwindow.wordpress.com/2016/01/03/the-london-guantanamo-campaign-the-bush-years-2006-2009/
A further history of the LGC, under Obama will be available in March, when the
LGC officially turns 10!
