Feesabilillah

Saturday, February 03, 2007

Guantanamo: Three Charged

A United States military prosecutor had filed charges against an Australian, a Yemeni and a Canadian held at the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, said the US defence department on Friday

"The chief prosecutor for the office of military commissions has sworn charges against Guantanamo detainees David Hicks of Australia, Salim Hamdan of Yemen, and Omar Khadr of Canada," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The move was the first step toward trial under a new system of military commissions set up by the Bush administration last year. The US Supreme Court ruled last June that the administration's previous plan for trying the foreign terrorism suspects held at the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was unlawful.

Under the system, the charges now have to be reviewed by other officials before the men can be formally charged. The prosecutor filed charges against Hicks of providing material support for terrorism and attempted murder in violation of the law of war, said the statement.

The charges filed against Hamdan were conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism. The prosecutor filed charges against Khadr of murder in violation of the law of war, attempted murder in violation of the law of war, spying, conspiracy and providing material support to terrorism.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Saturday that he was pleased the US military prosecutor had charged 31-year-old Hicks, who was arrested in Afghanistan in 2001. Howard had demanded that charges be filed by the end of February. "I'm glad that the charges are being laid and that the deadline I set has been met," Howard told reporters in Sydney.

"They are very serious charges and that is why they should be dealt with as soon as possible."

Source: News24

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* Plea From The Brothers: "We all seek your help after Allah (subhaana wa ta'ala). We are going through a very difficult time. It is a responsibility on your shoulders. You must all write to the Home Secretary John Reid and ask him 'why did you put these people behind doors?' Tell Tony Blair, 'why don't you put these people before an ordinary court?' And also try to arrange a big demonstration for our immediate release. We all are innocent and we need to be around our families as everybody lives around his family....we're asking them just to support us, just to go at least for demonstration, just to write, just to do something". Detainee 'AS', Long Lartin

"At 80, Haji Nusrat -- detainee No. 1009 -- is Guantanamo Bay's oldest prisoner. A stroke 15 years ago left him partly paralyzed. He cannot stand up without assistance and hobbles to the bathroom behind a walker. Despite his paralysis, his swollen legs and feet are tightly cuffed and shackled to the floor. He says that his shoes are too tight and that he needs new ones. He has asked for medical attention for the inflammation in his legs, but has not been taken to a hospital" Interpreter to Guantanamo lawyers. (Source: Washington Post)

Write to: (Enter Prisoner name), Camp Delta, P.O. Box 160, Washington DC, 20053, USA. NOTE: Individuals should note that while we have had it confirmed from one of the US lawyers who has visited Guantanamo, that the US government do allow mail from non-family members, all mail is subject to extreme delays as well as censors. Only a few released detainees we spoke to had received mail from non-relatives, in spite of many having been sent. However, letter-writing can be considered a protest action, as it sends a strong message to the US administration that the world has not forgotten the prisoners in Guantanamo, but rather is immensely concerned about what is occuring in Cuba. (Cageprisoners)

** Ways In Which You Can Help ** Write to the detainees to remind them that the ummah have not forgotten them. * Donate or volunteer with Cageprsioners in order to enable them to carry out further research in order to locate the 1000's missing. * Donate or volunteer with Hhugs to aid the brother's families (who have lost their breadwinner in most cases) with their day to day lives. * Generally raise awareness about the effect the war on terror has on the innocent brothers and their families.

“As for the one who can do nothing, then the very least he can do is to raise his arms in the last third of the night praying against the oppressor and the despondent one, asking Allah to relieve us of our woes and to remove the burden from . The Prophet said, “Whoever forsakes a Muslim in a situation while he has the ability to help him, Allah will forsake him at a time when he would want the help of Allah.” (Sheikh Muhammad al-Habdan, sermon: Who Will Stand Up for the Muslim Prisoners?)