Bring Shaker Aamer home from Guantánamo Bay

Shaker Aamer was one of the first detainees to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay.

In February 2012 he will have spent 10 years of his life at the detention centre. He has never been charged with an offence or tried.

Bring Shaker Aamer home

This is a brief account of the present situation. Action on Shaker’s case is part of the Terrorism Security and Human Rights and Individuals at Risk campaigns. In 2009/10 here in Norwich we were very successful with our campaign for Binyam Mohammed also a detainee in Guantanamo. We hope that work on Shaker’s case will have a similar effect.

14th February 2012 is the 10th anniversary of his detention in Camp Delta.

Shaker is a Saudi by birth but has the right of residency in the UK. His wife is British and lives in London with their children. He has not seen one of his sons who is almost 10 years old.

He has never been charged, tried or convicted of any criminal offence by the US authorities. He was cleared for release in 2007 but the Pentagon currently refuses to carry this out.

Clive Stafford Smith, the director of Reprieve, is his UK lawyer and he visited him in November 2011 and was “horrified at what he found”. Clive confirms that Shaker at the age of 45, is gradually dying as a direct result of his treatment in detention. Shaker suffers from arthritis, severe asthma, prostate problems, kidney, neck, back and shoulder pain as a result of beatings, problems with balance, ringworm and severe infection of the fingernails as well as other conditions.

In addition he is being kept in solitary confinement in the conditions described below by his US lawyer, Ramzi Kassem who recently wrote an article in the Miama Herald.

"As for Five-Echo, it’s a separate 24-unit boxcar-style cellblock on the grounds of Camp 5. Its design comes from the detention center’s earliest days, 2002, when contract laborers welded cellblocks from old shipping containers. But there’s a key difference: In the original design, the cells had a see-through metal mesh that allowed captives to communicate with and see others. For 'the disciplinary block', the military had workers weld in steel walls, sealing off each cell from the other."......"Saudi-born Shaker Aamer, 45, a British resident, has been held there more than 100 days", said attorney Ramzi Kassem said Saturday, characterizing his client’s detention circumstances 'reminiscent of Guantánamo circa 2003.' "Aamer is not able to see other captives, can only talk to them by shouting thorough his cellblock’s metal walls and is taken to an empty recreation yard to exercise alone", Kassem said. “In Shaker’s case it’s prolonged solitary confinement. The conditions are cruel,” he said, adding that "Aamer weighed 208 pounds when he was moved to the punishment block in July. He then went on a hunger strike to protest the place, and was down to 160 pounds during their last visit."

Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer and law professor who also represents Aamer, said the detainee described abysmal conditions in Five Echo.

"He said the squat toilet is difficult to use, there are foul odors, bright lights shine on detainees and air conditioners keep it extremely cold. It is decrepit, filthy and disgusting. Those are the words he used to describe it" said Kassem, a professor of law at the City University of New York. Aamer also told him there is not enough room in Five Echo for the Muslim prisoners to do their prayers.

Detainees in the block are allowed two hours a day out of the cells for recreation. Kassem said conditions are akin to those of a Supermax prison in the United States.

You can read more at http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/09/2539708/prison-camp-discloses-secret-discipline.html#storylink=cpy

This is a huge contrast to the image of Guantanamo that the US authorities would have us believe. There are still 171 detainees in the camps, three years after Obama issued an order closing them.

Shaker Aamer vigle

Shaker has been an outspoken advocate on behalf of other detainees who are not able to speak English and has defended their rights at the expense of his own safety. The suggestion has been that he has been severely treated because of this and that he has seen things happening in Camp Delta that he would describe if released.

There are many groups working hard for Shaker’s release, Amnesty, Reprieve, the SSAC (save Shaker Aamer campaign) in London and many individuals. There is a lot of interest from UK MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, Caroline Lucas, Michael Meacher and John Leech who wrote a very strongly worded letter to the US Congress. In addition Caroline Lucas raised a question in the House getting the reply that William Hague had again raised the case with Hilary Clinton when they met in May 2011 and yet nothing seems to improve and no action results from such enquiries.

Leon Panetta, the US Defence Secretary has not certified the UK as a safe place for Shaker to be returned to, nor has he reassured the US administration that releasing Shaker to the UK presents no problem for US security. This is shocking and suggests that the present and past UK governments have not been trying hard enough. This situation must not be allowed to continue.

There are four actions that we are able to do.

They are:

Simple cards of support

Following his birthday on 12th December, you could still send him a card of support.

His address is: Shaker Aamer, ISN239, Camp Five Echo/Camp Delta, US Naval base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Washington DC, 20355 USA.

Please note that the card will need to be blank inside, apart from your message, and that only photocopies are allowed to be seen by Shaker and that he will NOT be allowed to keep the photocopy. But sending a message does make a difference and many detainees have gained strength from receiving such messages.

Letters to the UK government

These should mention the following key headings.

  • You can mention the health problems Shaker suffers and the conditions under which he is being held
  • The UK government must insist on making a full medical assessment of his condition and regularly monitor his health and his conditions of detention for the purpose of assessing his ability to travel. This is the least they can do as his health is the cause of great and increasing concern
  • The UK government must now DEMAND his release. It has gone on record as saying it wants the US to release Shaker. It is time to demand it
  • There is no justification for Shaker to remain in detention. He is a British resident, his wife and children are British citizens. There has been no charge or trial and he was passed for release in 2007
  • The UK government should press the US Defence Secretary to provide the US with certification that the UK is a safe place for Shaker to be returned to and that security concerns are not an issue
  • The UK government must make a clear public statement to the media reaffirming their commitment to securing his release and return to the UK and that it is totally wrong for the US to continue to imprison Shaker in Guantanamo

You can write to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary. Your letters must be polite but firm as always.

Addresses

  • Prime Minister David Cameron 10, Downing Street, London SW1A 2AG
  • Foreign Secretary William Hague, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH

Please send a copy to your own MP. This is important.

Norfolk MPs Contact details

Find your Member of Parliment

If you are not sure who is your MP or which area you live in you can find them via www.writetothem.com, simply by entering your Post Code.

If you wish you could also send a copy to:

  • Ambassador Louis B Susman, US Embassy, 24, Grosvenor Square, London W1A 1AE
  • President Obama, The White House, 1600, Pennsylvannia Avenue, Washington DC, 20500 USA
  • Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, 2201 C Street NW, Washington DC 20301, USA

Letters to the US authorities

You can mention the conditions under which he is being held and his present state of health and any combination of the information above in particular the references to Leon Panetta. Also mention that you have written to the UK government. Perhaps also mention that the US is at great pains to point out its admiration for the British way of life; that the two countries have a special relationship involving extensive common interests; that we are trusted allies and yet we are seemingly perceived as not to be effective when dealing with our own security. Please also mention the relevant articles of the UN Declaration of Human Rights where possible. Again your letters must be polite but firm as always.

Send your letters to President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton. If possible please send a copy to the US Ambassador and your MP.

Amnesty Letter Templates

You can Read more details and how you can get involved with this campaign at: