Said Farhi

Said Farhi has been held in US custody since 2001, when he was seized by Pakistanis after crossing the border from Afghanistan. He had travelled to Afghanistan in the hope of marrying, but fled to Pakistan when the US invasion began after 9/11.

Said was born in Algeria. He grew up to serve in the Algerian military during the eighties, an experience he hated. After leaving the army, he left Algeria and began life living and working in Europe.

At this point, he threw away his Algerian passport, fearful that if he was arrested by the authorities and the passport was found, they would send him home.

He travelled from Italy to France in 1997, before returning to Italy. In January 2001 he travelled from Italy to the UK, using false documentation to enter the country. He was desperate to settle in Europe, but knew that there were few options to legitimise he presence.

During his time in England, he met a man in a mosque who told him that he knew a Swedish woman living in Afghanistan who would marry him, thus making him a legal resident in Europe. It was a chance that he couldn’t afford to miss.

He travelled to Afghanistan to meet with individuals who he believed would introduce him to the Swedish woman. In the end, he never met the her, or even knew if she existed, because events in New York were about to change the situation in Afghanistan. Like many people, in the days following 9/11, Said heard of Al-Qaeda for the first time.

When the US bombing of Afghanistan started in autumn 2001, Said fled the country, crossing over the porous border to Pakistan. There he stayed in a village. The villagers were hospitable at first, but when Ramadan ended, they handed Said over to the Pakistani police.

The Pakistanis, who were being paid substantial bounties for Arab prisoners by the Americans, transferred Said to US custody, where he remains to this day.

Said strongly denies all allegations that have linked him to terrorism. He admits living illegally in Europe, and insists he only travelled to Afghanistan because there was a chance that he could become a legitimate European citizen by marrying the Swedish woman.

Instead, he has spent years locked up in Guantanamo Bay. The US have now cleared him for release, accepting that Said has nothing to do with terrorism. But return to Algeria, with its poor human rights record, is not an option and he must wait for a country to offer him asylum.

Said ended up in Guantanamo Bay because he dared to dream of living legitimately in a European country. Now it is his only hope of leaving US custody. Until Said’s long held ambition- legal residence in Europe- becomes a reality, he can only wait and hope that somewhere, someone might try to rectify the injustices done to him.