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Tag Archives: criminal negligence

“We want them to help us; We don’t have anything”

“I want them to helps us in freeing my father.”

From our friends at Behind Bars

Aicha El-Khodry, discusses the condition of her son, Youssef El-Khodry, after he was brutally tortured this Ramadan in the infamous Toulal Prison 2 where he has been serving a fifteen year sentence since his kidnapping at the age of seventeen.

Azzouhra Ghazali, wife of Mohamed Mouniime, testifies about life without her husband who was arrested in 2003 and is now confined in Knitra Central Prison. A mother of three, (Yassine (14), Moadh (12 ), and two-year-old Sohaib who was born in prison) struggles to make ends meet as a maid while often her children are sent to sell plastic bags when money falls short. Like many of the wives of incarcerated men, she is condemned to live in the squalor of a tin shack near a garbage dump. She cannot afford to visit her husband and thus is only able to see him herself once every two to three months, while her children are able to visit maybe once a year.

Um Mohamed Hasna Moussaid, wife of Yassine Bounajra, was arrested with her husband in 2007. She was three months pregnant when her husband was sentenced to ten years and later gave birth in prison to Amal, now four years old. Although released after one year and eight months of incarceration, Um Mohamed recounts the difficulties of being abandoned by family, the stigma of jail, and the non-existent financial and emotional support for her and her two daughters, Salma and Alma.

Stay informed regarding the plight and affairs of the prisoners and their families in the Maghrib, and find out how you can take action or help by frequenting the following sites and contacting our brothers and sisters at: Behind Bars (facebook page), & Maroc Reality, A Voice For The Political Detainees In Morocco (Voice-For Detainees – facebook administrator’s page)

Why do you refuse to look into these violations of human rights, though you convict people who commit crimes against animals?

21 Jul

Statement by Talal Al-Zahrani responding to newly discovered evidence about his son’s death at Guantánamo

May peace and God’s blessings be upon you,

First, I would like to introduce myself. I am the father Yasser Talal Al-Zahrani, a young man who was detained at Guantánamo and who died there. The U.S. government falsely declared that my son committed suicide along with two of his friends, contrary to all the evidence that has surfaced, including testimonies given by some of the prison’s guards.

I wish to address this brief message to President Obama, the U.S. judicial authorities, and the American people.

First, I say: Mr. President, the killing of my son at the hands of his guards and under the supervision of the administration of the detention center is a serious and gruesome crime. It is against all human values and ideals, and whoever covers up this gruesome crime or obstructs the criminal and judicial investigations is a co-conspirator with those who have committed the crime itself.

It is not unusual in any society to find crime and criminals, but it is a catastrophe when a democratic society that raises the banner of defending human rights stays silent in the face of such a crime. Mr. President, neither you nor your government stand to gain anything by covering up this crime, unless you believe in the achievements of former President Bush and his Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, and wish to share in their legacy.

I say to the judicial authorities: Why do you refuse to look into these flagrant violations of human rights, even though you hear cases and convict people who commit crimes against animals? Do you really believe that only Americans or Westerners are worthy of being considered human beings with rights?

Finally, American people, I would like to tell you that the reason negative feelings towards America continue to exist is because your government is disregarding people’s feelings and showing contempt and disrespect for the lives of others. Too often it lets criminals—from powerful politicians and decision makers to low-level perpetrators—get away with serious crimes. This damages your reputation and the best values you stand for. I am inspired by the many among you who continue to insist that your government and courts deliver truth and justice to families whose loved ones have died in U.S. detention.

Finally, I hope that no one who reads my words will think that I am seeking sympathy for myself or for my son, for no matter what is done, nothing can bring him back to me. However, it is my firm hope that the criminals are held accountable and brought to justice.

I want to thank all those who remain concerned with fighting human rights violations.

Talal Al-Zahrani
Saudi Arabia

Father’s Day Letter from bereaved families of Guantanamo detainees

20 Jul

A Father’s Day Letter from Talal Al-Zahrani:
“I address you as a grieving father who is haunted by questions about how my son died in US custody”

Talal Al-Zahrani and his son Yasser Al-Zahrani

Dear readers,

Today is Father’s Day in the United States and in various countries around the globe, and today I mourn my son’s death anew, as I and my family have done with every new dawn since his unexplained death in US custody at Guantánamo in June 2006.

I address you as a grieving father who is haunted by questions about how my son died in US custody, and who knows my family, like all families facing such a nightmarish state, deserves answers. My son Yasser was a 17 year old boy when he was taken to Guantánamo and 22 years old when he died there, never having been charged with any crime and on a list of detained men slated for release. The US government has claimed that Yasser and two of his friends committed suicide, despite all the evidence that has surfaced to the contrary, including first-hand testimonies by four Guantánamo prison guards who make clear that what they saw contradicts the official story, and despite the clear marks of torture and abuse that I saw on my son’s body with my own eyes, once he was finally returned to me, broken and dead. Read the rest of this entry »