| Khaled Sheikh Mohammed - identifies innocent prisoners in Guantanamo, prisoners who even now are undergoing force feeding in the "torture chair": 100 day hunger strike in Guantanamo 15.03.07
Today, Thursday March 15th, is the 100th day of hunger strike by Shaker Aamer, a British resident from South London, being held in Guantanamo Bay. Twice a day Shaker Aamer is strapped to a torture chair for ten hours and force fed by a tube rammed up his nose.
Shaker has just marked his fifth anniversary in Guantanamo Bay. Because he has advocated for the rights of other prisoners, he has been held in total isolation in Camp Echo since September 24th, 2005.
The 100th day of his ordeal coincides with the release of interview transcripts with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed providing new information about conditions at Guantanamo. In the transcript he says:
- He has been tortured;
- That under torture he falsely accused other inmates of crimes
- There are many men in Guantanamo that had nothing to do with any terrorist plot
To highlight the plight of Guantanamo detainees, Reprieve – the charity working for justice for those detained without charge or trial – is recreating the torture of Guantanamo by constructing with an actor a replica of the force-feeding chair. The charity is also launching a new a report on torture and abuses of prisoners in the off-shore detention centre, including up-dated information on the British residents being held there and the diary of Sami al Haj, the al Jazeera journalist now on the 67th day of his hunger strike at the base.
Clive Stafford Smith, Reprieve’s Founder said: “Today’s revelations are further compelling evidence of the injustice, inhumanity and illegality of Guantanamo. We currently have a situation where a British resident is being tortured for 20 hours a day – and still our government will not intervene on humanitarian grounds. On the 100th day of his ordeal – they must now take notice and fight for Shaker’s human rights.
“The transcript of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confirms that the voluntary evidence he gave of his involvement in crimes – including through an Al Jazeera interview – negates any justification for military commissions There is overwhelming evidence of crimes committed by Mohammed that could easily be tried in US civilian courts. It is a tragedy that torture of Mohammed has seriously jeopardised the ability of any court to bring him to justice.”
In the Enemy Combatant hearing (CSRT), Khalid Sheikh Mohammed also says: “I’m asking you again to be fair with many detainees which are not enemy combatant. Because many of them have been unjustly arrested. Many, not just one or two or three.” Mohammed names one, and suggests others.
Meanwhile, 380 prisoners (many of them innocent, according to Mohammed) continue to be held without trial in Guantanamo, suffering terrible abuse.
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