British Government Calls for Five British Guantánamo Bay Residents to Come Home to the UK
07.08.07
Reprieve congratulates Brown government on a significant break with previous British policy
Tuesday August 7th: The Foreign Office announced today that the UK government is seeking the return of five British residents from Guantánamo Bay. The five men are Shaker Aamer, Omar Deghayes, Jamil El Banna, Binyam Mohamed and Abdennour Sameur.
Reprieve lawyers have represented all five men in their challenges to their illegal detention and have visited them in Guantánamo Bay on many occasions. Reprieve provides frontline investigation and legal representation for prisoners in Guantánamo Bay.
Today’s announcement marks a significant change in UK policy. Until now the UK government had refused to intervene on behalf of British residents imprisoned in Guantánamo and beyond, and has been standing in the way of cleared British residents – such as father of five British children Jamil El Banna – being allowed to return home to their families.
Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve’s Legal Director, said:
“I congratulate the Brown government on a huge step in the right direction. At last we are seeing an ethical foreign policy: action rather than words. Respect for human rights and justice are our first and best protection against terrorism.
When the British government enforces human rights, we have some chance of healing the rift with the Islamic world. The Brown government has seen that it is one thing to criticise the nightmare that is Guantánamo Bay, but another to play our part in bringing it to an end. The U.S. cannot close the prison unless European countries step up and allow refugees to come home. Today the UK has taken the first of those steps. ”
Zachary Katznelson, Reprieve Senior Counsel, said:
“I cannot tell you how happy this makes their children, families and friends who have prayed for these men every night for more than five years. These are five men, some of whom have lived and worked in Britain for decades. For five years they have undergone the horror of torture and abuse. Now, at last, they have the power of the British government on their side.”
The five men are:
Shaker Aamer: a London resident originally from Saudi Arabia. Shaker has four British children awaiting his return in South London, one of whom was born after his captivity. Because he lived in Britain for many years and speaks eloquent English, Shaker has been a spokesman for the prisoners. For this he has been severely punished, and has been held in solitary confinement for almost two years, since September 2005. He has been on hunger strike since December 2006.
Omar Deghayes: for 20 years a resident of Brighton and refugee from Libya, whose father was tortured and murdered by Col. Gaddafi in 1980. Omar, who has been blinded in his right eye while in U.S. custody, was being held by the U.S. based on a videotape that purported to prove that he was a Chechen rebel. Omar denied that he had ever been to Chechnya, and his Reprieve lawyers, assisted by BBC Newsnight, long since proved the videotape was not him.
Jamil El Banna: a refugee from Jordan, who was seized in the Gambia with Bisher al Rawi, another British resident, who was returned home four months ago. Jamil has five children who await his return, one of whom – like Shaker – he has never seen.
Binyam Mohamed: who lived in Kensington and had applied for asylum from Ethiopia. The U.S. became convinced, erroneously, that this janitor from London was involved in terrorism and the CIA rendered him to Morocco, where his 18 months of torture included a razor blade to the penis. Binyam’s story has provoked horror around the world.
Abdennour Sameur: recognised by the UK as a refugee from Algeria, he was granted asylum in April 2000, having fled from the Algerian army after objecting to being ordered to persecute innocent civilians.
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For further information or interviews, please call the Reprieve press office on 020 7131 3609.
About Reprieve
Reprieve provides frontline investigation and legal representation to prisoners denied justice by powerful governments across the world, from death row to Guantánamo Bay.
We represent people facing the death penalty, with a focus on the USA and cases where British nationals are involved. And we fight for prisoners denied justice in the name of the “War on Terror,” such as those held without charge or trial in Guantánamo Bay and the countless secret prisons beyond. None of these prisoners can afford to pay for representation
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