A plea from Guantánamo inmate Younous Chekkouri

Younous Chekkouri is a Moroccan national who has spent eight agonizing years in Guantánamo Bay. He is in urgent need of assistance. Fearing torture and persecution if returned to Morocco, he desperately needs a new home, which is why Reprieve is calling on European governments to offer him protection.

Younous was seized in 2001 as he fled war torn Afghanistan. Like many Arabs seeking refuge in Pakistan at that time, he was sold by Pakistani authorities to the U.S. for a bounty. He spent five months in the brutal, U.S.-operated prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan before being rendered to Guantánamo.

Even before his detention Younous’s life was not easy. His large family was plagued by poverty as he grew up in Safi, a seaside town in Morocco. His dream was to break free from the poverty trap and build a better life for his family. He imagined that studying at a European University could help him achieve that goal; unfortunately, the high tuition fees put this dream out of Younous’s reach. Desperately wanting to ascend from his bleak surroundings, he travelled to Pakistan, where he was told education was more affordable. And so began a decade-long quest for quality education and meaningful employment, which led him to Afghanistan in 2001 – where charity work was alleged to be plentiful.

Now entering his ninth year of imprisonment, Younous has never been charged with any crime, nor has he been given a chance to clear his name. Despite his continued detention, Younous has consistently been one of the most cooperative, peaceful prisoners. His sole desire is to be reunited with his wife and rebuild their life together; it is this hope that gets Younous through his darkest hours in Guantánamo.

In a recent meeting at the detention facilities in Guantánamo, Younous told his Reprieve lawyers to relay this message:

I’d like to say something to the people of the countries thinking of giving me a home from Guantánamo. My lawyer has just been to see me here in Camp IV, and she says that it looks like this prison may not close for some time. It’s hard for me to express how disappointed I and the other prisoners here were about this—imagine the hope we all felt when President Obama took office! We thought our pain was finally coming to an end.

I am not a terrorist; I never was. It is easy to assume that we must all be guilty of something here; after all, we are in prison. But I swear to you, I am no more dangerous than you are.

If you have any doubt about the kind of person I am, or how I will fit into your society, please, just come talk to me. Send a person, two people, three, I don’t mind. I’d be glad for the company. I am sure you would see that I am, as I have always said, innocent, and that your country and I would get along just fine.

Thanks for listening. The last thing I will say is this. Think about where you were eight years ago; think of everything that’s happened in your life since then. That is why I will go, with gratitude, to any place that will have me.

Best regards,

Younous