Cageprisoners.com
22nd December 2006, 09:12 PM
I’m in a cage like an animal. No-one’s asked me am I human or not.
(Wazir Mohammed, Afghan taxi driver, former Guantánamo detainee)
Guantanamo Anniversary - Background Information Pack
In advance of the 5th anniversary of the first transfers to the US detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba – to be marked on 11 January -- Amnesty International (AI) is releasing an information pack with key data and analysis regarding the state of human rights at the US detention centre.
The pack contains:
* Key Facts and Figures (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/03Gitmostats02.pdf) on Guantánamo.
* Timeline (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/02Timeline.pdf) of key events related to Guantánamo since January 2001.
* Guantánamo detainees (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/04gitmodetainees02.pdf) - Summaries of cases of individuals currently in Guantánamo.
* Fate of former detainees (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/08gitmoformerdets.pdf) -- Summaries of cases of individuals released from Guantánamo.
* AI’s concerns related to Torture and other Ill-treatment (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/06gitmotorture.pdf) at Guantánamo.
* Illegality of military commissions (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/01milcomms02.pdf) in Guantánamo in comparison to international fair trial standards.
* AI’s action plan (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/05gitmoframework.pdf) to close Guantánamo.
* Tip of the iceberg (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/07gitmoiceberg.pdf) – Guantánamo as one example of human rights violations committed by the US government in the context of the “war on terror”.
* Photos and video interviews with relatives of people currently detained in Guantánamo and with former detainees.
* Photos and video of AI’s public actions across the world to close Guantánamo.
* AI’s factual reports and analysis pieces related to Guantánamo published since 2001.
To access Amnesty International’s media pack on Guantánamo, please log on to http://web.amnesty.org/pages/usa-151206-media-eng
Events
Moazzam Begg - UK Events (Winter 2006 - Spring 2007) (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=416)
Young + Muslim = Extremist?
23-12-06, 5-7pm, Bradford, Organised by Generation X
The government claims that the Muslim youth are being radicalised & turning towards extremism. At the same time we have seen a rise in stop & search, and young Muslims being arrested. Is this an attempt to scare the youth away from an Islamic identity? Are the youth being brainwashed into violence? Do the Wars led by Western governments create anger & hatred? Is the War on Terror a War on Islam? How should we respond? Is political Islam the way forward? Speakers include Moazzam Begg, Maajid Nawaz, Yvonne Ridley, Aki Nawaz, and Shahid Butt.
International Day to Shut Down Guantánamo (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=415)
Thursday, January 11, 2007 The 5 year anniversary of the first prisoners being brought to Guantánamo
Campaigns
British Residents in Guantanamo - Writing To An MP (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=432)
The following is based on information gathered from two sources; a Parliamentary researcher, and www.WriteToThem.com , a charity whose aim is to make it easier for people to contact their MP. This site gives advice and guidance on writing to an MP, and will send your message to your MP.
Why is the Government So Afraid of Justice in the Case of Dr Rafil Dhafir? (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=433)
Bankrupting Dhafir was just one of the many tools the government employed to make it impossible for him to defend himself. They also held him without bail for 31 months and denied him access to his counsel and his own records.
Canada's Secret Trial Detainees on Hunger Strike at Guantanamo Bay North (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=431)
For the second time this year, three men held at the Kingston Immigration Holding Centre (KIHC) -- a $3.2 million facility within Millhaven Penitentiary for security certificate detainees -- have gone on hunger strike to protest their conditions of detention.
Babar Ahmad Moved to HMP Manchester - Appeal for Letters (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=429)
On 13th December 2006, Babar Ahmad was for no explicable reason transferred yet again, this time to HMP Manchester. The Free Babar Ahmad Campaign requests all supporters to write to Babar with words of encouragement.
Legal Issues
The Bush Administration Wins a Round on Military Commissions, But the District Court Ruling May Have a Silver Lining for Detainees (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17996)
by Michael Dorf
Last summer, the Supreme Court of the United States handed Salim Ahmed Hamdan--who stands accused of serving as the driver and bodyguard of Osama Bin Laden--a stunning victory
A Judicial Victory for the Leader (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17997)
by Glenn Greenwald
The first court decision (.pdf) to interpret and apply the legislative atrocity known as the "Military Commissions Act of 2006" was issued yesterday in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. The decision was a major victory for the Bush administration's attempt to vest the President with the power to imprison individuals – even for life – without according them any meaningful opportunity to contest the validity of their imprisonment.
Islamic Focus
"Where is Your God Now?" (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17954)
A poem dedicated to Babar Ahmad
Downloads
Moazzam Begg Interview on the BBC's Heaven and Earth Show (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=519)
Moazzam Begg: Law Society Lecture (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=518)
BBC Radio 1: Rules of the Game, Episode II - Hold Fast To The Rope of God (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=517)
BBC Radio 1: Rules of the Game, Episode I - Inside The Wire (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=516)
BBC Radio 4: Letters From Guantanamo (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=515)
Articles
Five Years on 'the Dark Side' - A Look Back at ‘War on Terror’ Detentions (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18030)
by Amnesty International
The past five years have seen the USA engage in systematic violations of international law. They include the following interlinked violations, part of a global detention web that the USA has spun in the "war on terror":
A Year of Living Dangerously (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18032)
by Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith
The year 2006 will be remembered as one in which the American people and the world rose up to challenge the criminal actions and deceit of the Bush Administration.
The Terrorist You've Never Heard Of (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18006)
by Alex Koppelman
Unlike alleged al-Qaida terrorist Jose Padilla, right-wing "dirty bomber" Demetrius Crocker was investigated and prosecuted the old-fashioned constitutional way.
Our Own Nuremberg Trials (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17998)
by Nat Hentoff
In 2007, the 'reality show' of the American rule of law, for the world to see.
Hear No Evil, Write No Lies (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17987)
by Andrew Mitrovica
Maher Arar was portrayed as a sly fox, a predator working with al-Qaeda. He turned out to be a hare, an innocent family man.
'Gitmo Is Like Being Alive in Your Own Grave' (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17965)
by Zofeen Ebrahim
''Guantanamo brings images of a man in orange overalls, his face down and a soldier holding him by the neck, like a dog on a leash," says 14-year-old Zahra Paracha. "Animals are treated better,'' she tells IPS.
Hide n’ Seek (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17966)
by Zofeen Ebrahim
“Is he alive,” asks Amina Janjua. She is not alone in her predicament. Hundreds of relatives ask the same question every day as the phenomenon of disappearances grows. This pattern of ‘enforced disappearances’ with links to the ‘war on terror’, according to Amnesty International, has had a devastating effect on families, emotionally, socially as well as financially
Interrogating Torture (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17938)
by Conor Foley
The truly shocking thing about the human rights abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism is how much we accept them.
[More Articles at Cageprisoners.com (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?type=Articles)]
News
GUANTANAMO
US Ban on Hicks Visit To Be Queried (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18023)
Hicks Refuses Father's Call (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18025)
Navy Lawyer Faces Military Charges For Passing Information At Guantanamo Bay (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18026)
Guantanamo Returnee Put on Remand (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18007)
Ex-Guantánamo Captives Detained in Yemen (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18010)
18 Are Sent Home From Guantánamo (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17991)
U.S. Military Rehearses Terror Hearings (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18002)
Freed From Guantánamo Bay, 7 Afghans Arrive in Kabul (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17981)
Military Taking a Tougher Line With Detainees (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17972)
Some Gitmo Detainees Freed Elsewhere (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17974)
16 More Gitmo Detainees Back Home (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17955)
Guantanamo Detainees To Be Held Even Without Evidence (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17956)
Judge Rejects Detention Challenge of Bin Laden's Driver (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17939)
US
U.S. Fugitive with al Qaeda Ties Arrested (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18021)
U.S. Judge To Order Mental Exam For Padilla (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18008)
Senator Seeks Detainee Abuse Case Update (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18015)
FBI: Cleric's Illness May Spark Attack (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17957)
UK
Menezes Family Lose Court Battle (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17961)
Charges Dropped Against Suspected Airline Bomb Plotter (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17941)
US 'Pressed British in Iraq To Toughen Up Interrogations' (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17942)
Campaigners'
Victory As Law Lords Uphold Right To Protest (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17946)
MISCELLANEOUS
Australian Court Orders Retrial For Terror Suspect (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18019)
Senior al-Qaida Leader Captured in Iraq (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18020)
Dutch National Faces U.S. Terror Trial (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18022)
Hicks Needs Mental Health Help: Labor (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18016)
Yemen Frees Last of Aussies (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17992)
Spanish Judge Jails 7 of 11 Suspected Islamic Radicals Arrested in African Enclave (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17995)
Pakistan 'Arrested' 500 Taleban (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17958)
General Foresees 'Generational War' Against Terrorism (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17947)
[More News on the War on Terror at Cageprisoners.com (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?type=News)]
(Wazir Mohammed, Afghan taxi driver, former Guantánamo detainee)
Guantanamo Anniversary - Background Information Pack
In advance of the 5th anniversary of the first transfers to the US detention centre at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba – to be marked on 11 January -- Amnesty International (AI) is releasing an information pack with key data and analysis regarding the state of human rights at the US detention centre.
The pack contains:
* Key Facts and Figures (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/03Gitmostats02.pdf) on Guantánamo.
* Timeline (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/02Timeline.pdf) of key events related to Guantánamo since January 2001.
* Guantánamo detainees (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/04gitmodetainees02.pdf) - Summaries of cases of individuals currently in Guantánamo.
* Fate of former detainees (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/08gitmoformerdets.pdf) -- Summaries of cases of individuals released from Guantánamo.
* AI’s concerns related to Torture and other Ill-treatment (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/06gitmotorture.pdf) at Guantánamo.
* Illegality of military commissions (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/01milcomms02.pdf) in Guantánamo in comparison to international fair trial standards.
* AI’s action plan (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/05gitmoframework.pdf) to close Guantánamo.
* Tip of the iceberg (http://www.amnesty.org/resources/pdf/closeguantanamo/07gitmoiceberg.pdf) – Guantánamo as one example of human rights violations committed by the US government in the context of the “war on terror”.
* Photos and video interviews with relatives of people currently detained in Guantánamo and with former detainees.
* Photos and video of AI’s public actions across the world to close Guantánamo.
* AI’s factual reports and analysis pieces related to Guantánamo published since 2001.
To access Amnesty International’s media pack on Guantánamo, please log on to http://web.amnesty.org/pages/usa-151206-media-eng
Events
Moazzam Begg - UK Events (Winter 2006 - Spring 2007) (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=416)
Young + Muslim = Extremist?
23-12-06, 5-7pm, Bradford, Organised by Generation X
The government claims that the Muslim youth are being radicalised & turning towards extremism. At the same time we have seen a rise in stop & search, and young Muslims being arrested. Is this an attempt to scare the youth away from an Islamic identity? Are the youth being brainwashed into violence? Do the Wars led by Western governments create anger & hatred? Is the War on Terror a War on Islam? How should we respond? Is political Islam the way forward? Speakers include Moazzam Begg, Maajid Nawaz, Yvonne Ridley, Aki Nawaz, and Shahid Butt.
International Day to Shut Down Guantánamo (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=415)
Thursday, January 11, 2007 The 5 year anniversary of the first prisoners being brought to Guantánamo
Campaigns
British Residents in Guantanamo - Writing To An MP (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=432)
The following is based on information gathered from two sources; a Parliamentary researcher, and www.WriteToThem.com , a charity whose aim is to make it easier for people to contact their MP. This site gives advice and guidance on writing to an MP, and will send your message to your MP.
Why is the Government So Afraid of Justice in the Case of Dr Rafil Dhafir? (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=433)
Bankrupting Dhafir was just one of the many tools the government employed to make it impossible for him to defend himself. They also held him without bail for 31 months and denied him access to his counsel and his own records.
Canada's Secret Trial Detainees on Hunger Strike at Guantanamo Bay North (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=431)
For the second time this year, three men held at the Kingston Immigration Holding Centre (KIHC) -- a $3.2 million facility within Millhaven Penitentiary for security certificate detainees -- have gone on hunger strike to protest their conditions of detention.
Babar Ahmad Moved to HMP Manchester - Appeal for Letters (http://www.cageprisoners.com/campaigns.php?id=429)
On 13th December 2006, Babar Ahmad was for no explicable reason transferred yet again, this time to HMP Manchester. The Free Babar Ahmad Campaign requests all supporters to write to Babar with words of encouragement.
Legal Issues
The Bush Administration Wins a Round on Military Commissions, But the District Court Ruling May Have a Silver Lining for Detainees (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17996)
by Michael Dorf
Last summer, the Supreme Court of the United States handed Salim Ahmed Hamdan--who stands accused of serving as the driver and bodyguard of Osama Bin Laden--a stunning victory
A Judicial Victory for the Leader (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17997)
by Glenn Greenwald
The first court decision (.pdf) to interpret and apply the legislative atrocity known as the "Military Commissions Act of 2006" was issued yesterday in the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld. The decision was a major victory for the Bush administration's attempt to vest the President with the power to imprison individuals – even for life – without according them any meaningful opportunity to contest the validity of their imprisonment.
Islamic Focus
"Where is Your God Now?" (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17954)
A poem dedicated to Babar Ahmad
Downloads
Moazzam Begg Interview on the BBC's Heaven and Earth Show (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=519)
Moazzam Begg: Law Society Lecture (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=518)
BBC Radio 1: Rules of the Game, Episode II - Hold Fast To The Rope of God (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=517)
BBC Radio 1: Rules of the Game, Episode I - Inside The Wire (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=516)
BBC Radio 4: Letters From Guantanamo (http://www.cageprisoners.com/download.php?download=515)
Articles
Five Years on 'the Dark Side' - A Look Back at ‘War on Terror’ Detentions (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18030)
by Amnesty International
The past five years have seen the USA engage in systematic violations of international law. They include the following interlinked violations, part of a global detention web that the USA has spun in the "war on terror":
A Year of Living Dangerously (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18032)
by Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith
The year 2006 will be remembered as one in which the American people and the world rose up to challenge the criminal actions and deceit of the Bush Administration.
The Terrorist You've Never Heard Of (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18006)
by Alex Koppelman
Unlike alleged al-Qaida terrorist Jose Padilla, right-wing "dirty bomber" Demetrius Crocker was investigated and prosecuted the old-fashioned constitutional way.
Our Own Nuremberg Trials (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17998)
by Nat Hentoff
In 2007, the 'reality show' of the American rule of law, for the world to see.
Hear No Evil, Write No Lies (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17987)
by Andrew Mitrovica
Maher Arar was portrayed as a sly fox, a predator working with al-Qaeda. He turned out to be a hare, an innocent family man.
'Gitmo Is Like Being Alive in Your Own Grave' (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17965)
by Zofeen Ebrahim
''Guantanamo brings images of a man in orange overalls, his face down and a soldier holding him by the neck, like a dog on a leash," says 14-year-old Zahra Paracha. "Animals are treated better,'' she tells IPS.
Hide n’ Seek (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17966)
by Zofeen Ebrahim
“Is he alive,” asks Amina Janjua. She is not alone in her predicament. Hundreds of relatives ask the same question every day as the phenomenon of disappearances grows. This pattern of ‘enforced disappearances’ with links to the ‘war on terror’, according to Amnesty International, has had a devastating effect on families, emotionally, socially as well as financially
Interrogating Torture (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17938)
by Conor Foley
The truly shocking thing about the human rights abuses committed in the name of fighting terrorism is how much we accept them.
[More Articles at Cageprisoners.com (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?type=Articles)]
News
GUANTANAMO
US Ban on Hicks Visit To Be Queried (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18023)
Hicks Refuses Father's Call (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18025)
Navy Lawyer Faces Military Charges For Passing Information At Guantanamo Bay (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18026)
Guantanamo Returnee Put on Remand (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18007)
Ex-Guantánamo Captives Detained in Yemen (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18010)
18 Are Sent Home From Guantánamo (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17991)
U.S. Military Rehearses Terror Hearings (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18002)
Freed From Guantánamo Bay, 7 Afghans Arrive in Kabul (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17981)
Military Taking a Tougher Line With Detainees (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17972)
Some Gitmo Detainees Freed Elsewhere (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17974)
16 More Gitmo Detainees Back Home (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17955)
Guantanamo Detainees To Be Held Even Without Evidence (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17956)
Judge Rejects Detention Challenge of Bin Laden's Driver (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17939)
US
U.S. Fugitive with al Qaeda Ties Arrested (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18021)
U.S. Judge To Order Mental Exam For Padilla (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18008)
Senator Seeks Detainee Abuse Case Update (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18015)
FBI: Cleric's Illness May Spark Attack (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17957)
UK
Menezes Family Lose Court Battle (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17961)
Charges Dropped Against Suspected Airline Bomb Plotter (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17941)
US 'Pressed British in Iraq To Toughen Up Interrogations' (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17942)
Campaigners'
Victory As Law Lords Uphold Right To Protest (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17946)
MISCELLANEOUS
Australian Court Orders Retrial For Terror Suspect (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18019)
Senior al-Qaida Leader Captured in Iraq (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18020)
Dutch National Faces U.S. Terror Trial (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18022)
Hicks Needs Mental Health Help: Labor (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=18016)
Yemen Frees Last of Aussies (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17992)
Spanish Judge Jails 7 of 11 Suspected Islamic Radicals Arrested in African Enclave (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17995)
Pakistan 'Arrested' 500 Taleban (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17958)
General Foresees 'Generational War' Against Terrorism (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?id=17947)
[More News on the War on Terror at Cageprisoners.com (http://www.cageprisoners.com/articles.php?type=News)]