Six years ago today, the first detainees were transported to Guantánamo Bay offshore prison by the United States government. Anita was passionately involved with organisations including Reprieve to fight for those who were imprisoned outside the reach of the law in the “war on terror” and are suffering human rights abuses.
Binyam Mohamed is a British resident who has been held in barbaric conditions in Guantánamo and tortured at the hands of the United States Government. The British Government accepts that Mr. Mohamed should be brought back to Britain, yet he remains in Guantánamo. Justice cannot wait, and the British Government has a moral obligation to demand that Binyam be returned to the UK immediately.
DO SOMETHING: Tell David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary, that the time to take a stand for Binyam Mohamed is now. The text for the suggested letter is below. It will be most effective if you hand write the letter and send copies to Binyam Mohamed and his legal representative, Clive Stafford Smith. Alternatively, you can download the letter here to send, fax it to (+44 (0)20 7 219 4780, or email it to milibandd@parliament.uk
As Edmund Burke famously said, "All that is essential for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." We must act fast. Join us in sending a letter to Secretary Miliband today.
Rt. Hon. David Miliband
Secretary of State
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
c/o House of Commons
1 Parliament Street
London SW1A 2NE
Dear Mr. Miliband
Re: Binyam Mohamed
I am writing to express my concern about the plight of Binyam Mohamed, a British resident who the U.S. has tortured, and is now holding in barbaric conditions in Guantánamo Bay. It is very urgent that the Government take action on his behalf.
The British Government accepts that Mr. Mohamed should be brought back to Britain, yet he remains in Guantánamo. He is the one who has suffered the most. He has been taken to Morocco by the CIA for torture; he has been tortured by the U.S. in Afghanistan; he has been held in revolting conditions in Guantánamo, with faeces smeared on the walls of his cell and with the water turned off; he suffers from predictable mental problems as a result of all he has been through; and the U.S. military now apparently wants to hold him for years to come on the off chance that one day he may face a military tribunal.
The British Government must work urgently to achieve justice for Mr. Mohamed. At a minimum, this should include:
Taking the same steps for him as were taken for Moazzam Begg and Feroz Abbasi, when they faced a military commission – send the Attorney General to negotiate directly with the U.S. and, if no fair trial is forthcoming, absolutely refuse to allow him to be tried in what Justice Steyn dubbed a “kangaroo court.” Obviously Mr. Mohamed deserves the same assistance here as Mr. Begg and Mr. Abbasi – his human rights are the same as their’s.
Demanding that Mr. Mohamed have access to an independent psychiatrist – this must be done today, as it is obvious he is suffering terribly.
Demanding that there is a full and independent investigation into the allegations of Mr. Mohamed’s torture.
Please would you confirm that these steps are being taken.
Yours sincerely
cc. Binyam Mohamed, ISN 1458, Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay, PO Box 166, Washington, DC 20355, USA
cc. Clive Stafford Smith, Legal Director, Reprieve, P.O. Box 52742, London EC4P 4WS, UK
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