Guantanamo Bay Britons

14 Jan 2005

Hackney Gazette

The foreign secretary, Jack Straw, has announced this week that the four Britons held in Guantanamo Bay will be released after three years in detention. Having met with many of the family members of the detainees, who have described to me their situation as ‘a living nightmare’, I know that this will come as a as a great relief to them. The question now is what will happen when they return to Britain, and just how will they have been affected by their ordeal?

Back in March 2004 five other Britons were transferred from Guantanamo Bay and upon arrival in Britain were questioned by anti-terrorism officers. All five were released without charge. Legal experts expect that the four men due for release will also not be prosecuted in Britain. This highlights to me the complete lawlessness with which people are being held in Guantanamo Bay and proves that the Bush administration is still denying people their human rights. Upon return the five men to be released are expected to confirm abuses documented by recently released FBI memos obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union detailing torture and ill-treatment such as strangulation, beating and the use of dogs.

What particularly concerns me is the effect that such treatment and incarceration is going to have on those being detained. The physical and mental health of these men is going to have been seriously affected, and experts in treating torture victims have warned that when they arrive back in Britain the four men may need months of care and extensive counselling. Four of the five men released last March are suing the US government for $10 million each in damages over their detention without trial. A Pentagon official has said though that the men are not entitled to a payout because they were captured ‘in combat’ and they insist that what they are claiming is false. How can these men ever be compensated for the ordeal they have been put through, and more importantly how could Tony Blair have let it go on for so long?

Whilst the announcement regarding the release of the four Britons is a positive step forward, it is important that we do not forget those that remain behind. There are still around 550 prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, including many British residents like Bisher Al-Rawi who has lived in London for 22 years. Yet despite this the government refuses to make representations on his behalf, or any of the other British residents, because he is not a British national. It is not acceptable that the government is refusing to intervene, and instead we must continue to fight for their release, and fight to end the torture of all detainees in Guantanamo Bay. I am in no doubt that once the men are released Tony Blair will try to push the issue of Guantanamo Bay under the carpet. The allegations of serious torture that have been made by detainees must not be ignored. It is now time there was an independent enquiry into interrogation practices used in Guantanamo Bay, otherwise how can the UK and US governments suggest a preservation of peace, democracy and freedom?



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