Guantánamo Bay's last UK detainee: 'people are dying here' in hunger strike

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

A British hunger striker inside Guantánamo Bay has laid bare the deteriorating conditions of inmates, expressing fears that he and others will soon die as a result of what he described as "systematic torture".

Shaker Aamer, the last UK resident still held at the camp, claims he is subjected to harsh treatment from guards and denied water, despite being in a weakened state due to severe weight loss, according to a written declaration filed by his lawyer.

He also alleges that the US base will soon be dealing with its first fatalities as a result of the current action: "I might die this time," he is quoted by his lawyer as saying, adding: "I cannot give you numbers and names, but people are dying here."

The testimony, seen by the Guardian, will form part of evidence presented at a hearing Monday into complaints from the remaining inmates at the notorious detention camp. Over the weekend, clashes broke out as guards attempted to break the hunger strike, which is thought to have begun on 6 February.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/14/guantanamo-bay-last-uk-detainee

[Solly Mack]

1. kr

[blackspade]

2. Close that shithole down.

None of those 'terrorists' should even still be there.
It flies in the face of what the American justice system purports to be.
The fact that the administration still has not closed that place down after 5 years is just one more reason to doubt their sincerity about transparency and civil liberties.

[xiamiam]

3. this should be pinned to the main page until these guys are released..nt

[EC]

4. What does the President have left he can do?

The Congress shuts down any road he starts on to close it, the countries these people are from refuse them, so I'm not sure how to proceed. What does Obama have left he CAN do?

[xiamiam]

6. he can lift the ban which he imposed which allows them to return to their country of origin.nt

[EC]

7. Their countries won't take them back.

so what good would that do? And as I understand it, it wasn't Obama that banned their returns, it was once again...Congress.

[marshall]

8. How can our Congress get other countries to ban their entry home?

I can see how we might have leverage with some countries, but there are other countries that wouldn't take orders from our Congress.

[xiamiam]

9. my understanding that it is obama who has banned them from returning to certain countries like yemen

this most probably from democracy now although Im not certain about that

from an interview with a defense attorney- a us military officer, whose name I cant remember- several weeks ago. I need to find that clip but it wont be until later.

yes, it is congress as well.. but for the 100 or so prisoners cleared to be released, the catch 22 is they cannot return to their home countries because Obama has put those countries on a list.. inmates cannot be returned there. .and signed it

Its not like these guys can or even want to go anywhere else..

[xiamiam]

10. i cant find the clip but i did a little research ..yemini citizens cannot return to their country

over half of those cleared for release are from yemen.. held in captivity because of their citizenship. .this moratorium was signed into law by Obama January 2010..i did hear that other countries also had a moratorium but I cant find any evidence of that yet

[Turborama]

15. Shaker Aamer was cleared for release 4 years ago by President Obama and the UK will accept him

Aamer has never been charged with any wrongdoing and has never received a trial and his lawyer says he is "totally innocent." He has been cleared for release by the Bush administration in 2007, and the Obama administration in 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaker_Aamer (hat tip to Uppity for sharing this below)

So, why won't they just put him on a plane to the UK?

[cstanleytech]

19. Clearly something is holding it up

and it might even be the British government

"In January 2012, The Independent revealed that the British government has spent £274,345 fighting in court to prevent Aamer's lawyers from gaining access to evidence which may prove his innocence."

Anyway I wish the majority of congress would pay real respect to both the constitution and the declaration of independence rather than only paying lip service to it by preventing the people held there from having their cases here before a real court of law rather than the farce they have setup now.

[EC]

20. UK won't take him

that's why. per article on front page of DU

I know it's quite disgusting, but the UK doesn't want him because of torture claims, so where will he go? Saudi Arabia didn't want him either.

On edit: Bushies set up quite a problem for the US and UK because of their torturing.

[24601]

21. What could he do? He could divest Git-mo of prisoners and take the consequences with regard to

the fallout. He could dare the House to impeach, reasonably certain that the Senate would not convict. But even if he was removed from office, he'd go out with a bang rather than a whimper.

Or he could schedule a colonoscopy, let Biden do it as acting President.

He could read Danial Day Lewis' lines in Lincoln and then grow a pair:

"I decided that the Constitution gives me war powers, but no one knows just exactly what those powers are. Some say they don't exist. I don't know. I decided I needed them to exist to uphold my oath to protect the Constitution,...."

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu

But of course he won't.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Guantanamo is a crime against humanity. In our names.

[blkmusclmachine]

11. .

.

[Trascoli]

13. how many Americans did that detanee kill

Can you tell me about his/her family? Pictures of the children?

[uppityperson]

14. Google him. Here is his wiki page, fwiw. It is a start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaker_Aamer

[Turborama]

16. He was cleared for release 4 years ago by President Obama/the UK will have him and he's still there?

I'm finding it hard to get my head around this.

I reckon it deserves an OP of its own as I bet most other DUers do not know about it and would be equally as shocked & horrified by what's happened/happening to him.

Thanks for looking him up, I am remiss in not doing it myself earlier.

BTW the e-petition to the UK government has now got 115,724 signatures and, as it has gone over 100,000, there will be a debate about it in parliament next Wednesday. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/33133

If anyone's up at that time, the debate will be broadcast live here (it'll be archived to watch later, too): http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13003

[uppityperson]

18. Reading it through now, it is incredible.

Last night I wanted to simply give the link, didn't read it. It is awful, I didn't know about him before.
And hey, hi.

[Jefferson23]

17. Disgusting. K&R