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Tag Archives: Amnesty International

Sami al Hajj: Former Guantánamo Victim On Writing to Prisoners

Dear friends,

I was detained for more than six years by the U.S.government, in the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. In late 2001, I was a journalist with the news agency al-Jazeera, assigned to cover the war in Afghanistan. While on that assignment, I was detained at the border of Pakistan-Afghanistan, and transferred to U. S.custody. I found that I had entered into a nightmare that would claim six years of my life and place great hardship on my family.

Fortunately, Amnesty International and other organisations called attention to my case and campaigned on my behalf. In December last year, my case was featured in Amnesty International’s Global Write-a-thon. A few months later, I was released from Guantánamo in May 2008 without charges.

I received more than 20,000 letters from members and supporters of Amnesty International during my last two years at Guantánamo Bay. I received letters from all over the world – the United States, South American all over Europe,Japan and Asia, many countries. These letters really encouraged me during my very difficult time. They made me feel as though I was not alone and not to give up. The writers encouraged me, they said they would advocate for me and pray for me. Some people sent me songs, others poetry. I really appreciated it when people sent me letters telling me about themselves. The letters where the person told me about their life, their occupation and what they did were very good for me – especially when they sent a picture of the place they lived. Also, the letters where the person told me about their family, if they were missing someone themselves, if they also had been through a hard time previously. I felt as though people had not forgotten me through these letters and I felt something change in my life for the better from these letters.

Also, I felt and could notice that from all these letters, the Administration of Guantánamo Bay changed and approved towards me, as they knew I was not alone and I had people who cared about me. The guards said to me that they could see I was someone who mattered and must be important because of all the letters – this made them respect me more.

Finally, all of these letters from Amnesty International led me to think about human rights. I thought about why would all of these people write to me, a stranger and want to help and encourage me? Why would these people who are from a different country, religion, race – everything – want to work for me and wish good things for me and for me to be released?

This made me to understand about human rights and for me to decide to work in human rights and to help people upon me release. This is why I am now working for Al Jazeera and they have opened a new desk called “Public Liberties and Human Rights”. We want to work for human rights all over the world and to help those people who need the help of others, I hope, enshallah, to continue this work for all of my life.

I ask you help make a difference in the lives of people who are facing great adversity. Prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders risk their own freedom to fight for the rights of all. They deserve our support.

Please know whatever you write – how long or short – means so much to the people you write to. Thank you again to Amnesty International and to all of those who wrote and encouraged during my hard time.

Sincerely,
Sami al Hajj
4 Novemeber 2008

Eastern Europe: Accommodating America’s Illegal Extraordinary Rendition

02 Oct

On 7 March 2003 a CIA Gulfstream Jet landed at a remote airstrip in north-eastern Poland. Human rights officials and campaigners are convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the most senior al-Qaeda suspects, was on board.

American agents took him to a secret facility where, he says, he was tortured before being eventually transferred to Guantanamo Bay.

The secret transfer of CIA prisoners is said to have taken place in both Poland and Lithuania – a region where,
only a generation ago, people were subject to arbitrary detention and torture at the hands of Communist secret police. Now, seven years on, the full story of Poland’s secret detention site is emerging.

Dick Marty, the Council of Europe’s former Rapporteur on Torture, told the BBC: “If I use the judicial standard of proof – and I used to be a magistrate – then I say ‘Yes, Mohammed was in Poland. Yes, he was tortured.‘ Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s Commissioner on Human Rights, said he now believed detainees had been subjected to “intense torture” and called for prosecutions. Read the rest of this entry »

UK’s feeble torture inquiry boycotted by Human Rights Groups

12 Aug

Ten human rights groups said last week they would boycott a UK government inquiry into allegations that its secret services were complicit in torture of detainees in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. The groups, including Human Rights Watch, Liberty, Reprieve and Amnesty International, sent a letter to the Detainee Inquiry saying they would no longer participate after receiving information on the protocol and transparency of the inquiry, siting a lack of credibility and transparency, and the claim that arrangements for it are “secretive, unfair and deeply flawed”.

They argue that the inquiry conducted in the manner described to them would not comply with Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights on the prohibition of torture. The joint letter states:

We are particularly disappointed that the issue of what material may be disclosed to the public will not be determined independently of Government and, further, that there will be no meaningful participation of the former and current detainees and other interested third parties. As you know, we were keen to assist the Inquiry in the vital work of establishing the truth about allegations that UK authorities were involved in the mistreatment of detainees held abroad. Our strong view, however, is that the process currently proposed does not have the credibility or transparency to achieve this. If the Inquiry proceeds on this basis, therefore, and in light of indications from the lawyers acting for former detainees that they will not be participating, we do not intend to submit any evidence or attend any further meetings with the Inquiry team.

Amnesty International released a public statement on its decision to boycott the inquiry saying, “[c]rucially, [AI] believes that the Detainee Inquiry risks failing in its intended aim to systematically get to the truth of these allegations, and ensure that such abuses never happen again.”

The Detainee Inquiry released the protocol exactly one year after UK Prime Minister David Cameron said he would set up an inquiry to investigate the allegations of torture. The announcement came after 12 ex-detainees brought civil cases against the government, claiming that British agents took part in their mistreatment while they were held in prisons in foreign countries, including Pakistan and Morocco.

Key sessions will be held in secret and the cabinet secretary will have the final say over what information is made public. Those who alleged they were subject to torture and rendition will not be able to question MI5 or MI6 officers, and will foreign intelligence agencies will not be questioned. Read the rest of this entry »