I've Seen 1,200 Torture Photos

This moment, in which the Attorney General of the United States claims to be considering the possibility of allowing our laws against torture to be enforced seems a good one in which to reveal that I have seen over 1,200 torture photos and a dozen videos that are in the possession of the United States military. These are photographs depicting torture, the victims of torture, and other inhuman and degrading treatment. Several videos show a prisoner intentionally slamming his head face-first very hard into a metal door. Guards filmed this from several angles rather than stopping it.

The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) of Australia revealed several of these photographs, video of the head slamming, and video of prisoners forced to masturbate, as part of a news report broadcast in 2006. But the full collection has not been made available to the public or to a special prosecutor, although it was shown to members of Congress in 2004. When these photos are eventually made public, I encourage you to take a good look at them. After you get over feeling ill, it might be appropriate to consider Congress' past 5 years of inaction. You'll be able to feel sick all over again.

In January 2004, the military seized photos and videos that were on computers and cell phones at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Those related to the abuse of prisoners amounted, as far as I know, to those in the collection I've looked at. So, this collection does not include images of torture or mistreatment that may have taken place at Abu Ghraib after that date or at other locations at any time. I have reason to believe that such photos also exist in large quantity and depict types of abuses we have not yet seen.

Most people have seen fewer than 100 photographs from Abu Ghraib. I have posted online many of those that have been made public. These are not a bad representative sample of the whole, but they are far from complete. There are, among the more than 1,200 photos, images of prisoners and of military personnel that have not been published. There are gruesome scenes here that we have not publicly seen a single image of. And the images that we have seen are, in most cases, a single image or two from a long series of photos of an incident. In many cases, the collection includes multiple series of images from one event shot with multiple cameras. The public images have in many cases been cropped and/or censored to hide faces or genitals. In the uncropped versions there are, in some cases, additional people in the frame.

Were these Abu Ghraib photos all made public, but those from other times and places kept hidden, and were we unaware of the executive orders, Justice Department memos, presidential signing statements, congressional reports, Red Cross reports, presidential and vice presidential televised confessions, and so forth, the military could still claim this was the isolated work of a few "bad apples".

But we would have a better understanding of what that work was. And making these images available to the public, or merely to a special prosecutor, would suggest an interest in seeking accountability for those responsible but not present in the photographs. On the other hand, hiding the evidence while prosecuting the soldiers who posed in some of the photos looks increasingly like scapegoating for the benefit of the Military Intelligence, CIA, and contractors who instructed the soldiers, as well as the commanders all the way up to the Secretary of Defense who encouraged torture, the lawyers who sought to provide immunity, and the president and vice president who gave the authorizations. Remember, for Attorney General Eric Holder to decide that our laws against torture can be enforced, he does not need to wait until each new piece of evidence is revealed and then respond appropriately. He already has all of this evidence and much more that we know about but have not seen.

The over 1,200 images that I've seen add to some stories we've seen sketched out before. We've seen the body of murdered prisoner Manadel al-Jamadi packed in ice. We've seen Spc. Charles Graner posing with it, and Spc. Sabrina Harman doing the same. But the fuller collection shows the process of cleaning the body up. A giant gash in the top of the man's head is stitched up, his eye patched, etc. Photos, some of which have been made public, show floors covered with the blood of this victim.

We've also seen a few images (one, two, three) of a man attacked and bitten by dogs. But the larger series of photos shows us much more of the wounds on his legs and arms, as well as his identification number: 153863.

Another prisoner with an ID (153399) is shown missing a good portion of his head. This is one of a number of dead bodies shown in the photographs. SBS (the Australian news outlet) found an Army report on his death and concluded that these dead prisoners had likely been shot by guards during a riot or murdered by guards in other circumstances. Others have claimed mortar attacks from outside the prison are to blame.

Charles Graner and Sabrina Harman appear quite a bit in these photos, posing and smiling, but also tending to wounds. Private Lynndie England appears in a relative few, the ones we've seen with a thumbs up and pointing at masturbating prisoners. Other photos show additional military personnel. In one shot, Graner and two other male soldiers are putting a bag on a prisoner's head. In one shot a possible private contractor wears an ID badge.

There are lots of photos among the over 1,200 showing naked prisoners, sometimes chained to bunk beds or with their legs stuck through bars. There's a naked prisoner face-down on the ground with blood beside him, and with an MP on his back and two more watching.

We have previously seen and heard about a prisoner who had lost his sanity and covered himself with feces, earning the moniker "shit boy." In the larger collection, we see him naked in the shower from the front, wearing white latex gloves. We see him pinned between stretchers but also standing, sandwiched between foam mattresses chained on him like a robe, with bags tied over his hands, and in other positions. And he is reportedly the same man shown slamming his head against a door.

We see a naked, hooded prisoner standing on two MRE boxes and bent over. We see photos shot from a balcony of two prisoners sitting or squatting with their hands behind their heads, one of them on the floor and the other on an MRE box. We see a prisoner with his ID number written across his naked chest in red marker, and red marker smiley faces drawn on his nipples. (His number, obscured by his hood, is 200_ _ 4, where the first missing number is 1 or 7 and the second is 9 or 4.)

Of course, we also see the simulated electrocution photos of a hooded prisoner standing on an MRE box with wires attached to him. And we see a prisoner apparently forced to stick a banana in his anus. We see this young woman lifting her shirt up, but without the cropping, fuzzing, and blacked-out eyes. We see her together with another young woman. We see a bunch of photos of these young women posing, fully clothed. We see the first one clothed and posing with Spc. Sabrina Harman, both smiling. According to SBS the story is that the two prisoners were picked up on the charge of prostitution.

There are three photos of a little boy, naked, in a robe, and fully dressed. While it is very disturbing to see this little child's photos in the middle of this revolting collection, I have no idea what they are doing there or whether he was mistreated, or whether anyone was threatened with his mistreatment. But I do know that the leading lawyer who facilitated our national torture campaign and famously said that a U.S. president has the right to crush a child's testicles is a professor at a prestigious university, while his boss is sitting as a life-time judge in the Ninth Circuit because Congress refuses to impeach him. The current excuse for delay is that the Justice Department plans to release its internal report (from the Office of Professional Responsibility) very soon, just as it has been promising for many months. If Holder finally releases the report and simultaneously announces the appointment of a special prosecutor, two things must happen.

1. We must not allow Congress to delay impeachment of Bybee any longer with the new excuse that a criminal investigation is underway.

2. We must pressure the special prosecutor to act without delay and without considering anyone to be above the laws written by Congress.

Source: http://informationclearinghouse.info/article23046.htm

MoD May Face Hundreds Of New Torture Claims

The inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa while held by the British Army begins tomorrow, with lawyers registering more claims of abuse

The Ministry of Defence faces the threat of hundreds of claims for alleged abuse and torture of Iraqi civilians by British soldiers. Lawyers say emerging evidence of abuses, including use of electric shocks, points to a systematic policy of sensory deprivation, sleep deprivation and beatings throughout the occupation of Basra, which must have been authorised by senior officers or politicians and known to hundreds of soldiers. Some 20 Iraqi civilians last week began a fresh round of legal cases claiming human rights abuses against the Ministry of Defence.

Sir William Gage will tomorrow begin his inquiry into the death of Baha Mousa, a recently widowed 26-year-old hotel worker and father of two small children, who was beaten to death by British soldiers while in custody in Iraq in 2003.

Mr Mousa's family, including his father, Dawood Mousa, a former colonel in the Iraqi army, and other civilians who were arrested and beaten at the same time, will travel to London to attend the proceedings in September. Mr Mousa said yesterday: "The questions still remain: Who? And Why? I am eager for this inquiry... we want to know who killed Baha and whether what was going on was part of a wider policy." He said he hoped "it will not be a whitewash" and that he was "speechless" when he was not allowed to take part in a military tribunal.

The MoD has already paid compensation for the death of Mr Mousa, who had 93 separate injuries on his body, although no soldier has been convicted for the killing. Seven soldiers did face court martial in 2006, but only one was convicted of inhumane treatment and sentenced to a year in prison. Corporal Donald Payne pleaded guilty after appearing in a one-minute video, shown at the court martial, in which internees could be seen forced to hold "stress positions" while wearing hoods.

Hooding was one of five techniques outlawed by the British government in 1972. The others were stress positions – where suspects are forced to squat in positions that become painful – sleep deprivation, constant noise and refusal of food and water. But it is emerging that the practices continued until last year; it is unclear when the ban was overturned, or by whom.

The latest cases – some of which are detailed below and which arose during five years of British military operations in Iraq – have similar complaints. They say homes were raided early in the morning by up to 60 British soldiers, men were beaten with rifle butts, plasticuffed and dragged to detention facilities where they were beaten, blindfolded, forced to wear ear muffs, hold stress positions, refused food and drink and not allowed to go to the toilet.

One man, Ali Nassih Mowannis, 24, claims wires were held to his tongue and feet and electric shocks administered. Another, Adil Abbas Fadhil Mohammad, says he was left hanging by handcuffs from a ceiling for an hour. Others say their wives or sisters were beaten, or they were stripped naked, while photographs were taken of them.

The MoD was forced last week to concede a further inquiry into allegations that Iraqis were tortured and killed by the British after what become known as the battle of Danny Boy in Maysan Province in May 2004. The MoD had claimed – in a case brought by nine survivors – that they had not complained at the time. But at the High Court last week government lawyers were forced to concede the case following the discovery of an email that the nine had in fact complained to the Red Cross and an investigation had been ordered. A draft letter outlining the complaints had been drawn up to be sent to Tony Blair. It is not clear if the investigation was ever carried out or the letter sent.

On Friday, Lord Justice Scott Baker condemned the MoD for its secrecy in the case and for making "partly false" statements in an effort to keep interrogation techniques secret under a public-interest immunity [PII] certificate. Until the MoD had demonstrated that "the whole content of such documents was scrupulously accurate" the courts should approach PII certificates from the MoD "with very considerable caution", he said.

Yesterday, Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers in Birmingham, which represents many of the Iraqis, including Baha Mousa's family, as well as the nine Danny Boy claimants in court last week, said: "There are hundreds of cases of Iraqi torture and abuse at British detention facilities... The systemic reasons for this are completely under explored."

Mazin Younis, of the London-based Iraqi League, which carries out initial interviews with claimants, said there were at least another 30 or 40 potential claims. If jurisdiction reached beyond British bases, that number would double, he added. "I absolutely believe there have been incidents from 2004 until 2008," he said. "Thousands of soldiers have either witnessed abuse or co-operated in it. The stories are all very similar. The raid starts at home, they are kicked and beaten and hooded."

The MoD, which denies all allegations in relation to Danny Boy, said other cases had yet to be proven. In a statement, the armed forces minister Bill Rammell said: "Over 120,000 British troops have served in Iraq and the vast majority have conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism. All allegations of abuse are investigated... and where proven, those responsible are punished and complainants compensated. Allegations must not be taken as fact, and formal investigations must be allowed to take their course."

What the claimants say: 'We were beaten... blindfolded... threatened with dogs... forced to strip'

These are the allegations made in statements to British lawyers by some of the Iraqis seeking legal redress from the Ministry of Defence.

Ali Nassih Mowannis, 24, arrested January 2006

Ali was arrested with Nassih Mowannis Abdul-Ali, 45, and his teenage brother, Anwar, by 60 or 70 soldiers who raided their home at 2.30am. Nassih's wife was forced to strip her baby naked. Jewellery and £12,500 was taken and never returned. All were blindfolded and earmuffed and beaten. Ali had electric shocks administered to his tongue and feet.

Hussain Salman Muharib, 23, arrested April 2004

Claims he was beaten with rifle butts after going outside in his pyjamas to investigate gunfire. His father was shot in the arm and his brother in the neck. He was dragged back into the house by 30 soldiers who beat his family, including his mother, sister and children. He was taken to a detention centre, beaten for 19 hours, forced to strip and parade in front of six or seven soldiers who photographed him on mobiles. Released without charge after three weeks.

Mustafa Abdul Amir Haddada, 31, arrested March 2006

Mustafa was woken by the sound of his door being kicked. As he investigated, it was blown in with explosives. He was injured by shrapnel, including a serious wound to his eye. Soldiers kicked and beat him and his wife. He was handcuffed and blindfolded. He was denied medical care, which led to the loss of his eye. Released without charge after one year and four months.

Abbas Mowannis Abdul Ali, 34, arrested January 2006

Abbas was arrested during a night raid on his home. He was hooded in front of his children and pushed down the stairs. In detention he was hooded, earmuffed and beaten. Also claims he was urinated on and at one point shot in the leg at close range with a rubber bullet. Released in September 2007 without charge.

Badr Salman Muharib, 31, arrested twice, in April 2003 and April 2004

On both occasions Badr was hooded and beaten. On the first occasion he was released after 19 days with an apology. On the second he was repeatedly dragged across the ground, forced to strip and bend backwards and forwards while soldiers took photographs of him.

Adil Abbas Fadhil Mohammad, arrested March 2006

A night guard, Adil was approached by British troops, beaten and arrested while on duty. Repeatedly beaten and threatened with dogs. At one point he was forced to stand on a wobbly table, with cuffs tied to a hook on the ceiling. He could reach the table only on tiptoe. When it fell over he was left hanging from the ceiling for half an hour and beaten. He was later stripped and had his penis pulled. Tricked into believing he had been taken to Guantanamo Bay. Released without charge after 48 hours.

Tarek Hassan, 22, arrested April 2003

Detained by British forces during a raid on his family home. The soldiers were looking for Tarek's brother, Khadim, a high-ranking Ba'ath party official, and said they would hold Tarek until Khadim turned himself in. Four months later Tarek's body was found in the desert north of Baghdad. He had been shot eight times and his hands were tied with plasticuffs commonly used by British and US soldiers. Khadim is now seeking an inquiry at the European Court.

Kammash family, arrested April 2007

The family home was raided, and six men, including 70-year-old Jabbir Kammash, were arrested, hooded and handcuffed and beaten. Jabbir was released after a day with his son, and his other son four days later. The other three were held for several months, deprived of sleep, forced to go without clothes and sexually humiliated.

Muslim Abbod Mohammed and Najim Abbod Mohammed, arrested August 2006

The claimants were arrested at 2.30am by 20 soldiers and beaten so severely Najim's arm was broken. More than once he was dragged by his broken arm. Muslim was forced to stand in the sun for two hours in a stress position and had stones thrown at him. Both were deprived of sleep through banging and by pornographic films played loudly. Both released without charge after almost a year.

Moayaad Jabbar Ibrahim, Imad Oraibi Abdulla Al-Iqabi, Ali Jabbar Hassan, arrested August 2003

The three were beaten for 30 minutes in their homes and in front of children so severely one lost consciousness. They say soldiers smelled of alcohol. Released the following day and received a letter of apology.

Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mod-may-face-hundreds-of-new-torture-claims-1742761.html

Dick Cheney Kept Congress In Dark Over CIA Counterterrorism Action

The former US vice president Dick Cheney directed the CIA not to inform Congress about a counterterrorism programme that the CIA director, Leon Panetta, ended last month, according to revelations by US intelligence officials.

The programme, the nature of which is not known, was set up eight years ago after the 9/11 attacks, reported the New York Times, citing a former intelligence official and another government official familiar with Panetta's briefing to the House and Senate intelligence committees on 24 June.

Upon learning of the programme a day earlier from within the CIA, Panetta terminated it and called an emergency meeting with the committees the following day. He told them the programme had existed but had now been cancelled. Cheney played a central role in overseeing the Bush administration's surveillance programme. Last week, an inspectors' general report noted that Cheney's chief of staff, David Addington, personally decided who in Bush's inner circle could know about the secret initiative.

Revelations about Cheney's role in making decisions for the CIA on whether or not to notify Congress came as a surprise to some on the committees, said another government official who, like the other sources, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the issue in public.

The nature of the counterterrorism plan remains a mystery. The former intelligence official said it was not related to the CIA's rendition, interrogation and detention programme. Nor was it part of a wider classified electronic surveillance programme. The official characterised it as an embryonic intelligence-gathering effort, that was only sporadically active. He said it was set up to yield information that would be used to conduct a secret mission or missions in another country, but it never matured to that point. The two sources said Congress had not been briefed about other CIA activities.

The revelation about Cheney comes as the House of Representatives prepares to debate a bill that would require the White House to expand the number of members who are told about covert operations. The White House has threatened a veto over concerns that wider congressional notifications could compromise the secrecy of the operations.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/12/dick-cheney-secret-cia-operation

Action Alert: Marwa Shirbinin Murdered In German Courtroom

Protect-Hijab urges the public to respond to the killing of Marwa Shirbini (32 years old) who was stabbed 18 times and killed. The 3 month pregnant mother of one, Egyptian born Marwa was a pharmacist in the German town of Dresden. She was continuosly harassed by her assailant (identified as Alex W.), and at least once physically attacked by him when he forcefully removed her Hijab in a school playground.

Marwa appeared in a court hearing to testify against him on July 1st. During the hearing, he produced a knife and viciously attacked Marwa, stabbing her 18 times in front of her 3 years old son before anyone successfully intervened. Her husband attempted to shield her, and was also stabbed and then mistakenly shot by an armed guard who thought he was the attacker. Alex W. is now being held on suspicion of murder. Her Funeral gathered thousands of her supporters and friends in Egypt last Monday.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. Attend the Picket
Saturday 11 July 12pm

In front of German Embassy, London
( 23 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PZ ) Nearest Tube station: Hyde park and Sloane Square

2. Watch the youtube link
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lmAx...eature=related

3. Send a letter to the German Embassy in the UK
The Ambassador
German Embassy
23 Belgrave Square
London
SW1X 8PZ

4. Jumaah Khutba
Dedicate Jumaa Khutba tomorrow (Friday) to speak about the incident. More details about the incident can be found on: www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...=1246346077533

5. Write to your MEPs
You can identify who your MEPs are from this link www.europarl.europa.eu/member...GB&language=EN

6. Write to Human Rights Organisations

Human Rights Watch: www.hrw.org

Amnesty International - www.amnesty.org.uk

European Human Rights Centre - www.ehrcweb.org

Liberty - www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk

7. Write an article to the newspapers
Write to the main stream media in Germany and the UK requesting them to focus on the crime and what it means to you.

leser@welt.de
info@dw-world.de
online@fr-online.de
leserbriefe@sueddeutsche.de
redaktion@faz.de
info@berlinonline.de
redaktion@dresden-news.com
yourletters@washingtontimes.com
letters@nytimes.com
letters@washpost.com
foreigneditor@independent.co.uk
syndication@guardian.co.uk
navegante@navegante.com

9. Write comments in chat rooms/forums
Help people to understand how vicious this crime was and why it must not be forgotten.

10. Facebook
Visit the facebook page dedicated to Marwa and add your opinion

11. Contact the family to express your condolences
Send Telegram to AlShirbini Family, 18 Ahmad Fathy Street, Glim

Officials: Fate Of Guantanamo Detainees Uncertain

Basic questions remain unanswered over how to prosecute or otherwise deal with hundreds of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Obama administration lawyers acknowledged Tuesday, just over six months before the prison is expected to close. The Defense and Justice departments are reviewing each of the 229 cases of terror suspects and foreign fighters currently at the U.S. Navy prison in Cuba, a process that Pentagon general counsel Jeh C. Johnson said will be finished "before the end of the year."

President Barack Obama has ordered the prison closed by Jan. 22, 2010. But it's still unclear how many of the detainees will face trial, or where, and how many will be held indefinitely.

Those decisions, the lawyers told the Senate Armed Services Committee, will partially determine how many legal rights the prisoners have. "We've certainly made no decisions about that," Johnson said when asked where detainees could be tried in military courts. "We continue to consider various options."

Congress has blocked funding for transferring any Guantanamo detainees into the United States for the 2009 fiscal year ending Sept. 30. Asked how many of the 229 detainees would be prosecuted by the military instead of the Justice Department, Johnson would not say. Nor could he say how many detainees may never go to court, and instead be held indefinitely under laws of war.

"We should all assume that, for purposes of national security and the protection of the American people, there will be at the end of this review a category of people that we in the administration believe must be retained for reasons of public safety and national security," Johnson told Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "And they're not necessarily people that we'll prosecute."

The Justice Department is looking at prosecuting about 30 cases, with an estimated 30 more cases to be tried in military commissions, a senior Obama administration official said later Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the process remains fluid and could change.

The government hopes to transfer many of the detainees — including up to 100 Yemenis — to other nations for rehabilitation or release. A small but undetermined number of the remainder could be imprisoned indefinitely in what critics call the continuation of one of former President George W. Bush's most controversial policies.

Tuesday's hearing did not touch on the urgency of solving the Guantanamo quandary before Jan. 22. Instead, the senators and lawyers debated ways to rewrite a 2006 military tribunal system that severely limited detainees' legal rights.

A Justice Department-led review on possible options for how to deal with future detainees is due July 21. It's likely that deadline will be extended because the review is not finished, the administration official said. The Senate could vote as early as next week on a bipartisan plan that bars from court hearsay and statements given under cruel, inhuman or degrading duress.

"What we're focusing on is the procedures that would be used wherever they're tried, whether they keep Gitmo open or closed," Senate Armed Forces Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said after the hearing.

Source: www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i4xYyvWDfL4tuqx_gqzGLQCH0i9gD999SVF00

Were Iraqis Tortured & Killed By Our Soldiers?

Allegations that British soldiers murdered and mutilated 20 Iraqis are to be fully investigated after it emerged that ministers had attempted to warn Tony Blair about damaging evidence of the ill-treatment of battlefield prisoners five years ago.

The startling revelation in the High Court yesterday led to the Government withdrawing its objection to a judicial inquiry into the alleged massacre after the battle of "Danny Boy" involving British forces near Basra in May 2004.

Government lawyers now say that shortly afterwards, the Armed Forces Minister had written a draft confidential letter, addressed to No 10, which referred to complaints made by the International Committee of the Red Cross in connection with the alleged ill-treatment of detainees held by the army after the battle.

The discovery of the existence of the correspondence led the Government to withdraw its defence to a judicial inquiry into the alleged massacre and abuse of the Iraqis. Lawyers for the Iraqis and the families of those who died said the case raised allegations that were among the most serious in modern British military history.

Lord Justice Scott Baker, the senior judge in the High Court hearing, was yesterday scathing about the Government's conduct of the case. "The [court] procedures [so far] have been a complete waste of time and of vast expense..." The judge also made clear his concerns about the "credibility" of the public interest immunity system which allows the Government to stop secret evidence being disclosed in court cases.

Clive Lewis QC, for the Government, said an email from 2004, which included the draft letter written to the Prime Minister's office warning of the Red Cross report, had only been discovered last week on a "mislabelled" CD located in a Whitehall cupboard.

The document also included suggested "lines" that ministers could take should the allegations of abuse, including injuries resulting from bayonets, become public.

In the letter, Adam Ingram, the then armed forces minister, says: "The main concern of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) involved the alleged mistreatment of 9 internees who were brought to the Divisional Temporary Detention Facility (DTDF) following a contact incident near Al Majaar Al Kabir on 14 May. Most of these internees have injuries they allege occurred during their arrest (prior to arrival at the DTDF). In the opinion of the ICRC doctor, the injuries that these internees had sustained to their wrists indicated that excessive force was used to manhandle the prisoners post apprehension."

Mr Ingram's letter adds: "The ICRC doctor also indicated that some of the prisoners had received injuries to one side of the face, which would have likely occurred in a situation where the internee was held down. At the meeting the ICRC formally requested that an investigation was launched into these allegations."

Rabinder Singh QC, for the Iraqis, accused the Government's key witness, Colonel Dudley Giles, of "not telling the truth" about the evidence. Mr Singh said documents disclosed only last week demonstrated that all nine detainees held by the British after the battle complained to the Red Cross about being ill-treated after arrest.

Somebody seemed to have assured ministers that the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch had launched an investigation into the allegations. Yet the court heard that the claimants did not make such complaints to the Red Cross and therefore there was no need for an investigation.

Phil Shiner, the lawyer who has brought these claims of military abuse to the UK courts, said he welcomed the inquiry decision.

Mazin Younis, of the Iraqi League, said: "The Iraqi families who believe their loved ones were tortured to death have been waiting for such an historical moment. Now... we will do our utmost to uncover the story... that led to the deaths of their sons."

In the case before the court yesterday six Iraqis were asking the court to order an independent public inquiry into accusations that soldiers may have killed up to 20 captives held after the gun battle in southern Iraq.

In a 20-day hearing, lawyers for the Iraqis presented evidence they said supported their contentions that captives were taken to a British base, Camp Abu Naji, and tortured, murdered and their bodies mutilated.

The Ministry of Defence denies that British soldiers were responsible for any ill-treatment of the Iraqis. But yesterday the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth conceded at the High Court that there was insufficient information before the judges for them to be able to make a fully-informed judgment on the allegations.

Since the start of the High Court hearing, MoD lawyers have argued that the 20 who died were killed during the fighting and an independent and effective investigation has already been held by the Royal Military Police.

Armed Forces Minister Bill Rammell said after the adjournment: "It is clear... that no-one was murdered or ill-treated by British forces. It is also clear British forces did not mutilate corpses on the battlefield, and there is independent expert testimony to support this. However... we regret that we have failed to provide the court with timely and sufficient disclosure of information to enable them to determine the facts."

Long road to justice?

*14 May 2004: The "Battle of Danny Boy", a firefight between British soldiers and Iraqi insurgents near the town of Al Majar-al-Kabir, Maysan.

*15 May: 20 dead bodies were returned to Iraqi families by UK forces.

*17-19 May: The ICRC visits the detention centre. Allegations of mistreatment emerge: ICRC doctors accept there are grounds for concern and call on the British to investigate.

*19 May: A draft letter is drawn up by Armed Forces Minister to Tony Blair informing him of the allegations.

*October 2007: Judicial review proceedings issued.

*April 2009: Government denies any wrongdoing on behalf of the soldiers and says the Iraqis were killed during the gun battle.

*6 July: Government concedes that there should be a new investigation.

Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/were-iraqis-tortured-and-killed-by-our-soldiers-1734413.html

More Than 1,400 Arrested Over China Clashes

Hundreds of Uighur protesters clashed with riot police in the capital of China's Muslim region of Xinjiang yesterday, two days after ethnic unrest left 156 dead and more than 800 injured. The protesters complained that family members had been arbitrarily arrested in a crackdown after rioting broke out in the regional capital of Urumqi on Sunday, a Reuters reporter said, adding they vowed to keep up their definance.

"My husband was taken away yesterday by police. They didn't say why. They just took him away," a woman who identified herself as Maliya told Reuters.

Fighting broke out on Tuesday when Uighur protesters advanced towards hundreds of anti-riot police carrying clubs and shields.

Abdul Ali, a Uighur man in his 20s who had taken off his shirt, held up his clenched fist. "They've been arresting us for no reason and it's time for us to fight back," he said Ali said three of his brothers as well as a sister had been among 1,434 suspects taken into police custody for questioning. Local residents complained police were making indiscriminate sweeps of Uighur areas.

The crowd later started to thin out as the anti-riot police slowly retreated down the street on the outskirts of Urumqi.

Earlier on Tuesday, Xinjiang's Communist Party boss Wang Lequan said Sunday's unrest had been quelled, although he warned "this struggle is far from over". Xinjiang's state-run media quoted Wang as calling for officials to launch "a struggle against separatism". Some Xinjiang newspapers also carried graphic pictures of the violence, including corpses, at least one of which showed a woman whose throat had been slashed. Despite heightened security, some unrest appeared to be spreading in the volatile region, where long-standing ethnic tensions periodically erupt into bloodshed.

Police dispersed around 200 people at the Id Kah mosque in the Silk Road city of Kashgar on Monday evening, Xinhua said. The report did not say if police used force but said checkpoints had been set up at crossroads between Kashgar airport and downtown. Kashgar is in the far west of Xinjiang.

Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy director, Sophie Richardson, called for an independent probe into the unrest. "Whoever started the violence, lowering ethnic tensions in the region requires the government to constructively address Uighur's grievances, not exacerbate them," she said.

Along with Tibet, Xinjiang is one of the most politically sensitive regions in China and in both places the government has sought to maintain its grip by controlling religious and cultural life while promising economic growth and prosperity. But minorities have long complained that Han Chinese reap most of the benefits from official investment and subsidies, making locals feel like outsiders.

Almost half of Xinjiang's 20 million people are Uighurs, while the population of Urumqi, which lies around 3,300 km (2,000 miles) west of Beijing, is mostly Han Chinese. Chinese officials have already blamed the unrest on separatist groups abroad, who it says want to create an independent homeland for the Muslim Uighur minority.

Exiled Uighur businesswoman and activist Rebiya Kadeer, blamed by Chinese state media for being behind the violence, denied having anything to do with it. "These accusations are completely false," Kadeer said through an interpreter in Washington, where she now lives.

In Washington, the White House said it was concerned about the deaths but it would be premature to speculate on the circumstances.

Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/more-than-1400-arrested-over-china-clashes-1734627.html

MI5 Accused Of Bribe Offer In Rangzieb Ahmed Torture Case

The security service MI5 is being accused of attempting to pervert the course of justice by offering a man inducements to drop his allegation that its officers colluded in his torture.

Rangzieb Ahmed had three of his fingernails ripped out after MI5 and Greater Manchester police (GMP) drew up a list of questions for officers from a notorious Pakistani intelligence agency who had detained him in Pakistan. He was later deported to the UK and jailed for terrorism offences. Ahmed says he was visited in prison by an MI5 officer and a police officer who offered to secure a reduction in his sentence or a payment of money to withdraw his torture complaints when his appeal against conviction is heard later this year. His lawyers have written to the Crown Prosecution Service to complain that the approach was "grossly inappropriate" and amounted to an attempt to pervert the course of justice.

As well as lodging an appeal against his conviction, Ahmed is also suing the British government for damages arising out of his treatment in Pakistan. It is thought that his lawyers are planning to rely to some extent on a judgment made after legal argument that preceded his trial, the full details of which are being kept secret at the request of MI5 and GMP.

Ian Cobain: 'Three of his fingernails were missing' Link to this audio In an interview with the Guardian last week, Ahmed, 33, from Rochdale, says he received a visit at Manchester prison last April from a man in his 40s who identified himself as an MI5 officer, accompanied by a man in his mid-30s who said he was a police officer. "They said they wanted my advice about tackling extremism and then said they could offer me protection if I helped them. Then they said, 'If you withdraw what you are saying about torture, we can make a deal with you to reduce your sentence, or if you want to take money we can give you money.' "

Ahmed's solicitor, Tayab Ali, of the London law firm Irvine Thanvi Natas, said: "Any attempt to conceal evidence of torture would amount, in this case, to an attempt to pervert the course of justice, and I would expect the courts to take a very serious view of the matter." Asked about the allegation, a Home Office spokesman said: "We don't comment on matters of security. Security service officers act within the law."

Ahmed had been under surveillance in Manchester and Dubai before travelling to Pakistan where he was picked up and tortured by that country's Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI).

He was deported to Britain 13 months later and prosecuted on the basis of evidence gathered during the surveillance operation. His lawyers argued unsuccessfully that his trial should not proceed because of the torture he had suffered. Ahmed was convicted of being a member of al-Qaida and directing a terrorist organisation, and jailed for life. What role, if any, MI5 and GMP may have played in his detention is unclear.

The court heard that two British intelligence officers questioned Ahmed while he was in ISI custody, and he says that the signs of the torture he was enduring would have been obvious to them.

The officers would have been operating in line with a government interrogation policy drawn up for MI5 and MI6 officers in the wake of the September 2001 al-Qaida attacks, which permitted them to question people whom they knew were being tortured, and to submit questions to the torturers, as long as they were not seen to condone what was happening.

The existence of the policy remained a secret until earlier this year, when the high court released a transcript of the cross-examination of an MI5 officer who interrogated Binyam Mohamed, a British resident detained in Pakistan in 2002. The attorney general has since called in Scotland Yard to investigate possible criminal conduct on the part of that officer and those who managed him. Last month the Guardian disclosed that Tony Blair knew of the existence of the secret policy. It remains unclear what Blair knew of its consequences, however.

He has been asked repeatedly what role he played in approving it and whether he was aware that it had led to people being tortured. His spokesman responded by saying that he had never authorised the use of torture.

There has been mounting international concern about Britain's involvement in the torture of detainees held by overseas intelligence agencies during the so-called war on terror. Earlier this year Martin Scheinin, a UN special rapporteur on human rights, reported that British intelligence personnel had "interviewed detainees who were held incommunicado by the Pakistani ISI in so-called safe houses, where they were being tortured".

Scheinin said: "The active participation by a state through the sending of interrogators or questions, or even the mere presence of intelligence personnel at an interview with a person who is being held in places where he is tortured or subject to other inhuman treatment, can be reasonably understood as implicitly condoning torture." Several men have alleged that they were questioned by British intelligence officers after being tortured by Pakistani agents. Most of the men were subsequently released without charge. Allegations of British collusion in torture have also been made by British men detained in Egypt, Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates.

Source: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul/06/mi5-accused-bribe-offer-torture

Israel Deports Gaza Campaigners

Israel has deported eight pro-Palestinian activists detained at sea last week as they tried to ferry aid to Gaza in defiance of Israel's blockade.

Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire and former US congresswoman Cynthia McKinney was among them. They complain the Israeli navy seized them illegally in Palestinian waters.

Israel's navy has blockaded Gaza since the election victory of Hamas militants in 2006. It said the Greek ship ignored orders to stop and was intercepted. The crew and passengers were taken into custody last Tuesday and the ship, which had set sail from Cyprus, was impounded in the Israeli port of Ashdod.

Israel's Interior Ministry announced on Monday that the activists would be sent home after refusing to comply willingly with their deportation orders. Officials said the three tonnes of aid would be delivered to Gaza by road once it had been checked over.

On Friday, five Bahrainis were deported after interior and foreign ministry officials touched down on Israeli soil for the first time to escort them home. Israel has allowed several protest boats to dock in Gaza in the past year, but has blocked others.

'Kidnapped'

Speaking to the media from jail near Tel Aviv, Ms Maguire said the activists were considering contesting the Israeli deportation orders because the recipients had been brought to Israel by the authorities against their will.

"We were kidnapped and we were brought here at point of a gun from Gazan waters here to Israel; we have been abducted," Ms McGuire told the al-Jazeera network. Ms Maguire co-founded Women for Peace, which later became the Community for Peace People, along with fellow Belfast woman Betty Williams.

The two women were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for their efforts in trying to encourage a peaceful resolution to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

The International Committee of the Red Cross recently described the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza as people "trapped in despair", unable to rebuild their lives after Israel's offensive. Donors have pledged $4.5bn for reconstruction and rehabilitation in Gaza following the 22-day offensive which left more than 50,000 homes, 800 industrial properties and 200 schools damaged or destroyed, as well as 39 mosques and two churches.

Israel says its blockade of Gaza is necessary to prevent weapons smuggling and to put pressure on the Hamas movement to release an Israeli soldier captured in a cross-border raid in 2006.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8136147.stm

Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib ... Bagram?

Noor Habib's hands shake as he draws a picture of how he says he was abused. He claims that he was taken to a small, darkened cell where his arms were tied to the ceiling and he was made to stand in waist-deep water for six hours at a time. He says he was beaten, threatened with dogs, and deprived of sleep. He also claims there was nothing unusual about his treatment, "everyone else has the same story".

Habib was an inmate at the Bagram Theatre Internment Facility, an American military detention centre outside Kabul. Now, for the first time, detailed allegations of widespread abuse and neglect have been made about this top-secret camp. "I didn't think a prison like Bagram ever existed on earth. It is a place that has no rules or law," says Sabrullah, another ex-inmate.

Over a period of more than two months, we tracked down 27 former detainees. There were others, but they were afraid to speak or had been warned not to. Just two said they had been treated well. Many allegations of ill-treatment appear repeatedly in the interviews; physical abuse, the use of stress positions, excessive heat or cold, unbearably loud noise, being forced to remove clothes in front of female soldiers and in four cases, being threatened with death at gunpoint.

The account of an inmate known as Dr Khandan is one of the most harrowing. He says he was kept in isolation for months and treated worse than an animal: "They deprived us of sleep, they put us in a cold room and turned the air conditioning on and would take away the blanket. They poured cold water on you in winter and hot water in summer. They used dogs against us. They put a pistol to your head and threatened you with death. They put some kind of medicine in the water to make you sleepless and then they would interrogate you."

All the men who spoke to us were interviewed in isolation and they were all asked the same questions. They were held at times between 2002 and 2008 and they were all accused of belonging to or helping al-Qaeda or the Taliban.

None of the inmates were charged with any offence or put on trial; some even received apologies when they were released. While none of the allegations can be independently verified, the ill-treatment they describe also appears in an inquiry by US Senators into the handling of detainees in US custody, and they match the findings of interviews with ex-inmates conducted by human-rights organisations and legal groups. They are very similar to the methods that were used at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

"The conditions at Bagram were harder than Guantanamo," says Taj Mohammed. The camp has held thousands of people over the last eight years and a new multi-million dollar detention centre is currently under construction.

Most of the inmates are Afghans but some were captured abroad and brought here under a process known as "extraordinary rendition", including at least two Britons. The Obama administration says they are dangerous men and it classifies them as "terrorist suspects" and "enemy combatants" rather than "prisoners of war". It is a legal classification that critics say deliberately denies inmates access to lawyers or the right to appeal or even complain about their treatment.

The Pentagon has denied the charges and it insists that all inmates are treated humanely. We were not allowed to visit Bagram, nor was anyone made available for an interview. Instead, a spokesman for the US secretary of defence responded to written questions. Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wright insisted that conditions at Bagram meet international standards for care and custody. In a statement, he said: "Department of Defence policy is and always has been to treat detainees humanely. There have been well-documented instances where that policy was not followed, and service members have been held accountable for their actions."

The US military said it would investigate any serious claims of abuse, but none of the men interviewed had been made aware of any formal complaints procedure. But another former inmate, known as Mirwais, said: "They have no respect for human beings. They blame others for violating human rights. You just go and see how they violate human rights."

Since coming to office, president Barack Obama has banned the use of torture and ordered a review of its policy on detainees, which is expected to report next month. But unlike Guantanamo Bay, the prisoners at Bagram have no access to lawyers and they cannot challenge their detention.

Tina Foster, executive director of the International Justice Network, a legal support group which is bringing a test case in the States to try to win representation for four detainees, says the inmates at Bagram are being kept in "a legal black hole, without access to lawyers or courts". She is pursuing legal action that, if successful, would grant detainees the same rights as those still being held at Guantanamo Bay, but the Obama administration is trying to block the move.

Last summer, the US Supreme Court ruled that detainees at Guantanamo should be given legal rights. Speaking on the campaign trail, Obama applauded the ruling: "The Court's decision is a rejection of the Bush Administration's attempt to create a legal black hole at Guantanamo. This is an important step toward re-establishing our credibility as a nation committed to the rule of law, and rejecting a false choice between fighting terrorism and respecting habeas corpus."

Foster accuses Obama of abandoning that position and "using the same arguments as the Bush White House".

In its legal submissions, the US Justice Department argues that because Afghanistan is an active combat zone it is not possible to conduct rigorous inquiries into individual cases and that it would divert precious military resources at a crucial time. Pentagon spokesman Wright says: "Detention during wartime is not criminal punishment and therefore does not require that individuals be charged or tried in a court of law."

Obama has also ruled against an earlier decision to release photos that show abuse of prisoners in US custody in Afghanistan.

Ex-inmate Esmatullah says he has trouble breathing when he thinks about Bagram, he gets nervous at the very mention of its name. Like many others, he also claims that he was beaten and threatened during interrogation: "The Afghan translator told me he has orders to take out my eyes, break my legs and hands. I said I am not afraid of dying. Then he hit me with a stick so hard that I had severe pains in my back for a month and a half."

Unlike Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, Bagram has received scant attention so far. The men would like an official apology, recognition of the abuse they say they have suffered and compensation.

These revelations come at a time when president Obama is trying to re-set America's relationship with the Muslim world and he is redoubling US efforts to win the war in Afghanistan. It is a controversy that has already attracted much attention in the Afghan and Pakistan media and seriously threatens to tarnish the image of the new Obama administration on both sides of this troubled border.

Source: www.sundayherald.com/international/shinternational/display.var.2518245.0.0.php

Terror Suspect Wins Battle To Leave Britain

A terror suspect who has spent the past eight years first in jail and then under a control order that prevented him leading a normal life has won his battle to be allowed to leave Britain. Mahmoud Abu Rideh, who says he has never been shown any of the evidence against him, was yesterday offered a "certificate of travel" by the Home Office which will enable him to move abroad.

His wife, Dina al-Jnidi, and their six children moved to Jordan in May to live with her parents. Writing in The Independent yesterday, she described how the family had been torn apart by her husband's treatment. His lawyers took his case to the High Court, accusing the Home Office of "irrationally" refusing to issue him with travel documents because of his alleged terrorist connections.

Mr Abu Rideh, who came to the UK as a Palestinian refugee, was among 17 men detained without charge shortly after the 11 September attacks in 2001. He spent four years in prison, and then four more subject to a control order. Under the terms of this order, he has had to stay inside his home for 12 hours a day, and phone a monitoring company three times a day. Any visitors must be approved by the Home Office, and he is not allowed to have an internet connection. Last year he went on hunger strike in protest.

His lawyers say he has been driven to despair and repeated suicide attempts by the restrictions on his freedom and wants to leave the country. Mr Abu Rideh has said: "I am alone. I don't have friends. Everyone is scared to see me."

After a morning of legal discussion between the two sides yesterday, the court heard that the Home Office was now offering him a certificate of travel. The judge ordered that his legal challenge should be stayed while he considers whether to accept the offer.

Last night, Amnesty International UK, which has led the campaign over his treatment, welcomed the Government's concession. Sarah Macneice, its counter-terrorism campaigner, said: "Mahmoud Abu Rideh will now be able to leave the UK and seek entry to a safe country, and will no longer be subjected to the repressive measures of his Control Order, which have driven him to utter desperation.

She added: "The Home Office should issue this document to him promptly, rather than subjecting him to yet more delays." Gareth Peirce, Mr Abu Rideh's solicitor, said the document is likely to be issued within two weeks at most.

In 2001, the then Home Secretary David Blunkett described him as "an active supporter of various international terrorist groups, including those with links to Osama bin Laden's networks"; but Mr Abu Rideh has never been tried in court.

After Belmarsh top security prison, he was transferred for a while to Broadmoor secure psychiatric hospital because of his fragile mental health.

Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/terror-suspect-wins-battle-to-leave-britain-1731260.html

Life With A Control Order: A Wife's Story

Mahmoud Abu Rideh has spent four years behind bars and another four years on a control order. A father of six, he is in a wheelchair and has never seen the evidence against him. Today he goes to the High Court, backed by Amnesty International, in a plea to leave Britain. Here Dina Al Jnidi, his wife, describes the family's descent into a nightmare

It is still fresh in my mind the day the police came to arrest my husband – it was the 19 December 2001. They broke down the door and forced their way into our home while I was still in my night dress. They were pointing their guns in my face and in the children's faces. There were about 30 armed officers. They forced my husband to the floor and handcuffed him, pressing down on his back and neck with their knees as he screamed in pain. They yelled: "Shut up you f***ing terrorist!" I implored the police to stop because my husband suffers from back pain. All this was in view of my children who were terrified; they were crying, shaking, many had wet themselves .

The police took my husband away – to where, I do not know. They took me and my children to a hostel; they wanted to search our home. After two days we were allowed to return home. The local newspaper had taken pictures of our house. The headlines read something like: "Terrorist raid". After this article I had my face veil forcibly removed three times. We also had rubbish thrown at our front door.

Forty days passed and I still did not know where my husband was. I called the police, immigration – no one told me where he was. Eventually I swapped my home because our neighbours had resorted to spitting at me. Prior to the arrest of my husband and the raid on our home, we had never had any trouble with our neighbours. The police have caused this problem which led to our victimisation.

I finally found out my husband was in Belmarsh prison and I went to visit him there. I discovered he was on a hunger strike. The visit was a closed visit, which means that neither I nor my children could touch him. The children were unable to hug or hold their father. Even shaking his hand was not allowed. On many occasions after travelling long distances in difficult circumstances we were sent away without being allowed to see him. My husband does not speak English well, but he was not allowed to speak Arabic (eventually this was allowed for one visit out of four).

My husband used to call and often he would be crying due to the torture and the discrimination he was facing. My children, too, would cry. The effect of all this torture, discrimination, and detention without charge or trial drove my husband insane, angry and psychologically mad. Never before was he like this, he was a normal person – a normal husband and a normal father. Due to his mental state he was transferred to Broadmoor psychiatric hospital, a place for dangerous high-risk people.

While at Broadmoor, he was frequently attacked by staff, nurses and other prisoners. I could not visit him there. I tried, but whenever I went I was told he was in isolation, in solitary confinement. Broadmoor was far from our home, it was difficult travelling with five children only to be sent home.

It was around this time that my husband began to self-harm. He drank detergents, he used pens to dig deep into his arms.

He was finally released in 2005. We were given only two hours' notice before his return. We were pleased to have him back home, but did not know the full extent of the conditions that would be placed on him. I did not know what a control order was. He had to wear an electronic tag around his ankle. He had to report in several times a day (including the middle of the night) using special equipment that had been placed in our home. We were not allowed to have a digital camera in the home, nor other basic items such as USB sticks, memory cards or MP3 players. Our children were not allowed to use the internet or have a computer. We were not allowed visitors unless they had been cleared by the Home Office after a rigorous vetting procedure. Many would not even call for fear of being harassed by the police or worse.

My husband was a wreck, a shattered man. He could not sleep, he would sweat and shake, he would have nightmares and flashbacks. It was almost impossible to deal with him. He was ill and had complex psychological needs – I am not a trained nurse and he required specialist help. One week later he attempted suicide by taking an overdose of his depression and anti-psychotic medications. I found him on the floor unconscious, in a pool of vomit foam coming from his mouth. He was taken to the hospital and remained unconscious for three days.

My life is ruined. I cannot sleep. I cry so much. It is having an effect on my children. I blame Tony Blair, the House of Lords, the Queen, the politicians, Parliament. They all have a have a hand in this. I am British. So are my children. Why, then, is it acceptable for us to be treated in this manner? The police came many times to search my house, violating the sanctity that is a home. What do they expect to find among my clothes and my children's clothes? They confiscated money, a Nintendo Wii, a Playstation, a PSP. The Nintendo Wii was a gift from my husband's solicitor to our children. Despite numerous requests, none of these items have been returned to us. Why? Are my children not allowed the things everyone else's children are?

Even irrelevant documents have been confiscated – birth certificates, school reports, a car log book and MOT certificates. Of what significance or benefit are these? I was at breaking point. I could take no more. I was pregnant with my sixth child. During my pregnancy the Home Office made things difficult – I could not get help as people required clearance before being allowed to visit me. How could I care for a sick husband and five children while pregnant?

I want to know how the majority of Christians in Britain prepare and share joy at the christening of their newborn children. Am I exempt from sharing my happiness with friends and family? Should I too not be allowed to show off my precious gift to others? Am I subhuman? I want to ask the politicians, the Queen – would this not affect you?

I tried to remain hopeful many times. But there is no hope. My husband has been charged with no crime, he has not been interviewed or interrogated. He has been presumed guilty because he is Muslim – for what other reason could it be? Please explain to me and my family – why have we had to endure this treatment? Pets are treated better than we have been. Is this the humanity you profess, is this the justice you want to spread?

Judge Ousley ordered and ruled that the Home Office should release the secret evidence that is held against my husband. But the Home Office appealed this decision and it has been a long time and nothing has been heard or seen.

On or around the 19 February this year, the European Courts of Justice and the European Court of Human Rights declared that the secret evidence being used against my husband be released to him and his solicitors. They said the control order should be lifted and that my husband should receive compensation for his unfair treatment. What is the point of these courts if Britain makes a mockery of them and refuses to submit to their judgment? There is no justice. We have lost all hope of justice.

My family, especially our children, are scared of the police. The have suffered at the hands of the police. Their education has suffered. They have not been able to complete homework, they are at a disadvantage compared to other children as they are not allowed to access the internet. I have three girls in secondary school and three boys in primary school. I was attending college to study childcare. We all require a computer.

My husband was re-arrested for alleged breaches of his control order on at least four different occasions. Once he was arrested for having the Nintendo Wii which was the gift to our children. Once it was for having "mobile phones" in the home – they were actually toys purchased from the pound shop.

We, as a family, are dead. We are sick of the police and the Government's torture of our family that has gone on for eight years. Our family has been held hostage in Britain. My husband and I escaped torture at the hand of the Israelis to find worse torture in the UK. I now find myself in another country – J ordan – where I have sought asylum from the torture that Britain has placed me and my family under.

Psychiatrists from the Home Office advised me to divorce my husband, saying it would be better for me and my children. Scotland Yard on many occasions also told me this. What kind of twisted advice is this? Would this really be better for me and my children? Or are they looking for more reasons to drive my husband to suicide?

I have too many things to get off my chest. My heart is filled with anger. I am crying as I write this – it is all too much for me to remember. I have left my home to be in Jordan. My husband was not even allowed to accompany us to the airport. He is forbidden under the restrictions of his control order. Is it really likely that he can escape; he has no passport, no travel documents – where would he go?

As we left our home I knew, and he knew, that it was probably the last time we would see each other, the last time he would see, hold, hug and kiss his children. I had to watch my children crying at the thought of never seeing their father again. But I have no choice, I have been forced to leave.

Perhaps now I can try to repair the damage to my children; the emotional scars they will bear for how long I do not know. I can finally try to rid myself of the effects of the "Terrorist Act", the police, the searches and the torture I have had to witness my husband go through. I still fear for my husband who is alone. He has made four suicide attempts – each time he has been serious. But Allah has not willed that he be successful.

The British public and Government complain about the effects of immigration and asylum seekers in the UK, about people coming to the country and claiming benefits. Why then do you force my husband to remain here? He has not been charged or convicted of a crime, yet you treat him this way .

I would like to tell the British Government and the rest of the world, I would like to tell anyone who has a heart, anyone who has an ounce of humanity – please allow my husband to leave the United Kingdom.

Please provide him with the necessary documents to go to any country, where there may be at least some hope of seeing him again – before I lose him for good and our children lose their father.

Source: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/life-with-a-control-order-a-wives-story-1729620.html

LGC Newsletter - June 2009

British Residents:

A federal judge in California has ruled that a convicted “terrorist”, José Padilla, a US citizen, with whom Binyam Mohamed was allegedly planning a dirty bombing campaign in the US, can sue the government lawyer, John Yoo, who authorised his torture while in detention pending his trial. Yoo is the Department of Justice lawyer who authorised the use of torture and any other techniques that could lead to confessions just short of causing “organ failure, impairment of bodily function or even death” in Guantanamo, Bagram and elsewhere. While held in the US, Padilla was subject to sensory deprivation for several years and was completely disorientated and unfit to stand trial when he was convicted in 2007 on lesser charges of supplying funds to terrorist groups. This ruling is a major step forward in holding those responsible for torture and criminal behaviour in the Bush era accountable for their actions.

Guantánamo Bay:

A sixth man has died at Guantánamo Bay. 31-year old Yemeni prisoner Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh was allegedly found unconscious in his cell on the night of 1 June. He had been on hunger strike for a large part of this year and it is not clear whether he was still being force fed through a tube inserted up through his nose twice a day. He had not been charged and it is unclear as to whether he had legal representation. The Pentagon has alleged that “he committed suicide” and although his body has been repatriated to Yemen, the US authorities are insisting on keeping the results of his autopsy secret. The last death in Guantánamo Bay was in December 2007.

The trial of the first Guantánamo detainee in a US civilian court started on 9 June. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a Tanzanian national, was brought to New York for his hearing on multiple charges against him in his alleged role in the bombings of two US Embassies in East Africa in 1998 (Tanzania and Kenya). Having been held at secret CIA prisons after his capture in Pakistan in 2004, he was brought to Guantánamo Bay in 2006 along with 14 other “high value” detainees such as Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. He is accused of having transported the explosives used in the bombings which killed over 200 people. In a closed hearing at Guantánamo Bay in 2007, he admitted to delivering the explosives but expressed remorse and apologised to the families of the victims, stating that he did not know the purpose for which they were to be used. During his trial, Mr. Ghailani will be held at a “supermax” prison facility.

If convicted, he could face the rest of his life in prison in the US and potentially the death penalty. This case is very much a test case for the Obama administration in its attempts to close Guantánamo Bay and repatriate the remaining prisoners. Mr. Ghailani pleaded non-guilty in his first appearance before the court. The trial is expected to take a long time. The US is planning the trial of at least several dozen other detainees.

Controversy broke out in mid-June concerning the choice of states to send prisoners cleared for release. Almost a year ago, a group of 17 Chinese nationals, of the Muslim Uighur ethnic group from western China who are persecuted by their government, were declassified as enemy combattants and their release was ordered by a federal judge. However, as they cannot be returned to China and the US is refusing to allow them to resettle on the mainland, the search has been on for another country to take them. Palau, a remote Pacific island State, which has only been independent (previously US-administered territory) since 2004 offered to take 13 of the men. Although the president claimed that the offer was made for humanitarian reasons, the US has also offered Palau over $200 million in aid if it agreed to take the men.

A mission from the Palau government has visited the men at Guantánamo Bay and although none have yet been transferred, the men themselves have expressed concerns that the Chinese authorities may seek to have them returned to China if they are released to Palau. Bermuda accepted the other 4 Uighurs on 11 June and they are reported to settling well there. This move, however, angered the British Foreign Office which is supposed to review Bermuda’s external relations under a 1968 agreement. Bermuda is a British overseas territory. The move by the president of Bermuda is to be congratulated; Bermuda has allowed the men to settle there and work and will allow them to apply for asylum elsewhere if they so wish. China has disputed these agreements, demanding that the US sends back its nationals. However, China cannot assure their safety if returned. Five Uighurs had previously been resettled in Albania in 2005. This setttlement was not permanent and one of these men was recently offered asylum in Sweden where he has family. The other men are rebuilding their lives in Albania but cannot be joined by their families as the Chinese government has refused to let them leave the country.

On 11 June, Mohamed El-Gharani, the youngest detainee held at Guantánamo Bay, allegedly captured aged 14, was released to Chad after 7 years of detention. He was held in police custody for two weeks upon his release. In January, shortly before Obama became president, a federal judge ordered the release of El-Gharani, finding the evidence on which he was deemed to be an “enemy combatant” to be deeply flawed; it considered him to have been an Al-Qaeda operative in London when he was only 11 and had never left Saudi Arabia where he was born. Kidnapped in Pakistan in 2001, he has been tortured and abused, including severe racial abuse, at Bagram and Guantánamo Bay.

Aged 22 now, Mohamed El-Gharani has not only missed out on his adolescence but has also been denied his fundamental right to an education while held in Guantánamo Bay. The fact that it has taken President Obama’s administration 6 months to release him, in addition to the 7 years it took the Bush administration to investigate the spurious claims against him, show that even now there is little desire to hurry up the process and none whatsoever to do justice for these men. A few months ago, in a telephone conversation with former detainee and Al Jazeera cameraman Sami Al-Hajj, El-Gharani told him that the abuse of detainees at Guantánamo Bay over this year has gotten worse. Upon his release by the police in Chad, El-Gharani gave the following interview to Al-Jazeera: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iIsBSds5sM Several other detainees were also released in mid-June to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Around 230 detainees still remain. Italy has agreed to take three prisoners, however only as it wishes to prosecute them. Ireland and Portugal have also agreed to take several prisoners.

Extraordinary Rendition:

The Foreign Secretary David Miliband admitted to parliament in February 2008 that the government had known, in spite of it being denied many times by former Foreign Ministers, that the CIA had flown two prisoners in the extraordinary rendition programme to the British-run island of Diego Garcia in the southern Indian Ocean, where they were tortured before being flown on to Guantánamo Bay. The UK leases the island to the US military, which it is uses as a base in the Iraq War, and is alleged to run off-shore torture ships.

Mr. Miliband, however, refused to make the names of these detainees public, admitting only at the time that one had since been released from Guantánamo Bay. The identities of the two men have now been made public in a document prepared by Reprieve director Clive Stafford-Smith for a parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee investigation into the UK’s role in extraordinary rendition, particularly the case of Binyam Mohamed. The two men are Mohammed Madni, an Egyptian-Pakistani national, kidnapped by the CIA in Indonesia in 2001, tortured in Egypt and then “rendered” through Diego Garcia in 2002 and later to Guantánamo Bay.

Since his release in 2008, he has returned to Pakistan and is reported to be in poor physical and mental health following his ordeal. The other man is probably Ibn Al-Shaykh Al-Libi, the former “ghost prisoner” who died in mysterious circumstances in a Libyan jail in May. Al-Libi was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2001 and transferred to various secret jails in different locations where he was tortured. In Egypt, where he “confessed” that Saddam Hussein was linked to Al-Qaeda, shortly before the war in Iraq started - “intelligence” which was used to launch the attack - his torture included a mock burial, sleep deprivation and daily interrogations lasting up to 17 hours.

He is likely to have been “rendered” through Diego Garcia; however, it is unclear as to whether he was ever held at Guantánamo Bay. He was released to Libya in 2006 suffering from tuberculosis and diabetes, where he was jailed and died last month. His death was allegedly a “suicide”, a convenience for those who would like to bury the facts of the horrific torture he faced at various locations and across several continents in secret jails for over more than four years. Al-Libi was never charged and never tried. His ordeal took place secretly outside of the confines of any known legal or humane process. The British government is responsible and liable for its role in the rendition and torture of these men and must be held accountable along with the American officials involved. The disclosure of the names of the men who were held at Diego Garcia is simply the second step in the process of holding the British government responsible for their involvement in this wrongdoing. For more information on this story, please see: www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/06/03/revealed-identity-of-guantanamo-torture-victim-rendered-through-diego-garcia/

In an interview with the July edition of Esquire magazine, Tony Blair called on the public to “wait for the facts” in the Binyam Mohamed case and clearly being unaware of anything that has happened in Britain since he left Downing Street, continued to deny that he or anyone else in his government knew or were involved in rendition through Diego Garcia, Iraq or the torture or rendition of British nationals or residents. This being in spite of David Miliband admitting to “renditions” through the British overseas territory of Diego Garcia, former Defence Minister John Hutton’s admission that British soldiers in Iraq handed prisoners over to the Americans who “rendered” them to Afghanistan and so on…for more details: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/britain-and-rendition-wait-for-the-facts-says-tony-blair-1693490.html

In mid-June, the Foreign Secretary David Miliband stated that MI5’s policy on interrogation which the Prime Minister recently ordered to be rewritten would be kept secret. This is in spite of mounting allegations and evidence that British intelligence agents have been involved in torture abroad in several countries. The Guardian newspaper also stated that Tony Blair had been aware that Britain had a secret torture policy which allowed intelligence agents to interview individuals who had been tortured abroad provided they did not ask them about the specifics of their ordeal or treatment. This happened in several countries, including Pakistan, and is in breach of international law. The revelations were made in a letter: www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/18/tony-blair-secret-torture-policy

In response to this story, several MPs have suggested that former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and former Home Secretary David Blunkett must have known about this policy too and should be prosecuted for any knowledge they have of wrongdoing by British intelligence agents. As Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw consistently denied involvement in extraordinary rendition, but this has since been openly admitted by the current Foreign Secretary David Miliband: www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/18/straw-blunkett-interrogation-detainee-policy

LGC Activities:

The LGC monthly “Shut Down Guantánamo!” demonstration outside the US Embassy was held on Friday 5 June. Four people attended. The July demonstration is at 6-7pm on Friday 3 July.

The LGC has held a series of stalls in Clapham, south London to raise awareness about the plight of Shaker Aamer, the last Londoner held in Guantánamo Bay. We will also be holding a public meeting to raise awareness and get the local community to act on 11 July at the Battersea Arts Centre with Cageprisoners.

London Guantánamo Campaign
london.gtmo@googlemail.com
www.guantanamo.org.uk

Israel Attacks Justice Boat: Kidnaps Human Rights Workers; Confiscates Medicine, Toys and Olive Trees

[23 miles off the coast of Gaza, 15:30pm] - Today Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the spirit of humanity, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (see below for a complete list of passengers). The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

"This is an outrageous violation of international law against us. Our boat was not in Israeli waters, and we were on a human rights mission to the Gaza Strip," said Cynthia McKinney, a former U.S. Congresswoman and presidential candidate. "President Obama just told Israel to let in humanitarian and reconstruction supplies, and that's exactly what we tried to do. We're asking the international community to demand our release so we can resume our journey."

According to an International Committee of the Red Cross report released yesterday, the Palestinians living in Gaza are "trapped in despair." Thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed earlier during Israel's December/January massacre are still without shelter despite pledges of almost $4.5 billion in aid, because Israel refuses to allow cement and other building material into the Gaza Strip. The report also notes that hospitals are struggling to meet the needs of their patients due to Israel's disruption of medical supplies.

"The aid we were carrying is a symbol of hope for the people of Gaza, hope that the sea route would open for them, and they would be able to transport their own materials to begin to reconstruct the schools, hospitals and thousands of homes destroyed during the onslaught of "Cast Lead". Our mission is a gesture to the people of Gaza that we stand by them and that they are not alone" said fellow passenger Mairead Maguire, winner of a Noble Peace Prize for her work in Northern Ireland.

Just before being kidnapped by Israel, Huwaida Arraf, Free Gaza Movement chairperson and delegation co-coordinator on this voyage, stated that: "No one could possibly believe that our small boat constitutes any sort of threat to Israel. We carry medical and reconstruction supplies, and children's toys. Our passengers include a Nobel peace prize laureate and a former U.S. congressperson. Our boat was searched and received a security clearance by Cypriot Port Authorities before we departed, and at no time did we ever approach Israeli waters."

Arraf continued, "Israel's deliberate and premeditated attack on our unarmed boat is a clear violation of international law and we demand our immediate and unconditional release."

What Can You Do!

Contact the Israeli Ministry of Justice
tel: +972 2646 6666 or +972 2646 6340
fax: +972 2646 6357

Contact the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
tel: +972 2530 3111
fax: +972 2530 3367

Contact Mark Regev in the Prime Minister's office at:
tel: +972 5 0620 3264 or +972 2670 5354
mark.regev@it.pmo.gov.il This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Contact the International Committee of the Red Cross to ask for their assistance in establishing the wellbeing of the kidnapped human rights workers and help in securing their immediate release!

Red Cross Israel
tel: +972 3524 5286
fax: +972 3527 0370
tel_aviv.tel@icrc.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Red Cross Switzerland:
tel: +41 22 730 3443
fax: +41 22 734 8280

Red Cross USA:
tel: +1 212 599 6021
fax: +1 212 599 6009

Kidnapped Passengers from the Spirit of Humanity include:

Khalad Abdelkader, Bahrain - Khalad is an engineer representing the Islamic Charitable Association of Bahrain.

Othman Abufalah, Jordan - Othman is a world-renowned journalist with al-Jazeera TV.

Khaled Al-Shenoo, Bahrain - Khaled is a lecturer with the University of Bahrain.

Mansour Al-Abi, Yemen - Mansour is a cameraman with Al-Jazeera TV.

Fatima Al-Attawi, Bahrain - Fatima is a relief worker and community activist from Bahrain.

Juhaina Alqaed, Bahrain - Juhaina is a journalist & human rights activist.

Huwaida Arraf, US - Huwaida is the Chair of the Free Gaza Movement and delegation co-coordinator for this voyage.

Ishmahil Blagrove, UK - Ishmahil is a Jamaican-born journalist, documentary film maker and founder of the Rice & Peas film production company. His documentaries focus on international struggles for social justice.

Kaltham Ghloom, Bahrain - Kaltham is a community activist.

Derek Graham, Ireland - Derek Graham is an electrician, Free Gaza organizer, and first mate aboard the Spirit of Humanity.

Alex Harrison, UK - Alex is a solidarity worker from Britain. She is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Denis Healey, UK -Denis is Captain of the Spirit of Humanity. This will be his fifth voyage to Gaza.

Fathi Jaouadi, UK - Fathi is a British journalist, Free Gaza organizer, and delegation co-coordinator for this voyage.

Mairead Maguire, Ireland - Mairead is a Nobel laureate and renowned peace activist.

Lubna Masarwa, Palestine/Israel - Lubna is a Palestinian human rights activist and Free Gaza organizer.

Theresa McDermott, Scotland - Theresa is a solidarity worker from Scotland. She is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Cynthia McKinney, US - Cynthia McKinney is an outspoken advocate for human rights and social justice issues, as well as a former U.S. congressperson and presidential candidate.

Adnan Mormesh, UK - Adnan is a solidarity worker from Britain. He is traveling to Gaza to do long-term human rights monitoring.

Adam Qvist, Denmark - Adam is a solidarity worker from Denmark. He is traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

Adam Shapiro, US - Adam is an American documentary film maker and human rights activist.

Kathy Sheetz, US - Kathy is a nurse and film maker, traveling to Gaza to do human rights monitoring.

Source: www.freegaza.org/en/home/hope-fleet-news/976-israel-attacks-justice-boat-kidnaps-human-rights-workers-confiscates-medicine-toys-and-olive-trees

High Court Protest - Mahmoud Abu Rideh

Next Friday, July 3rd, Mahmoud Abu Rideh, the Palestinian detainee, will be at the High Court on the Strand as part of his attempt to end his years of detention without charge in the UK by leaving this country. His wife and children recently left the UK, unable to survive living under Control Order any longer. But he needs travel documents in order to leave and is taking this issue to court.

He hopes to attend the hearing on Friday and we need to give our support.

So please join us in a protest: 9.15 - 10.00 am at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand.

His case has had much media coverage lately and the press are expected.

Please bring banners, placards, as many people as possible!

Organised by Peace & Justice in East London