Voice from Guantanamo

Last Updated on Thursday, 11 January 2007 03:28 Written by Steve Thursday, 11 January 2007 03:25

I’ve written before about my friend Josh who is doing good defending Bahranian’s detained at Guantanamo by our commander-in-chief. His client Jumah al-Dossari has an op-ed in the LA Times that was pulled together from letters he’s sent to his lawyers.

Here’s a passage from his letters:

At Guantanamo, soldiers have assaulted me, placed me in solitary confinement, threatened to kill me, threatened to kill my daughter and told me I will stay in Cuba for the rest of my life. They have deprived me of sleep, forced me to listen to extremely loud music and shined intense lights in my face. They have placed me in cold rooms for hours without food, drink or the ability to go to the bathroom or wash for prayers. They have wrapped me in the Israeli flag and told me there is a holy war between the Cross and the Star of David on one hand and the Crescent on the other. They have beaten me unconscious.

What I write here is not what my imagination fancies or my insanity dictates. These are verifiable facts witnessed by other detainees, representatives of the Red Cross, interrogators and translators.

5 years in Guantanamo, with no end in sight. We’re holding him there, not Pinochet or Suharto or Pot. No charges, no contact, no hope.

If I die, please remember that there was a human being named Jumah at Guantanamo whose beliefs, dignity and humanity were abused. Please remember that there are hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo suffering the same misfortune. They have not been charged with any crimes. They have not been accused of taking any action against the United States.

Show the world the letters I gave you. Let the world read them. Let the world know the agony of the detainees in Cuba.

We must resist this war and the unlawful practices that hang off it like dangling electrodes. Speak up. Say no to your representatives, say no to the media, speak up. Enough with this madness.

3 Comments

1. Chris   |  Sunday, 14 January 2007 at 9:35 am

   Jumah Al-Dossari’s got an entry on Wikipedia, if anyone is interested in/can handle more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumah_Al-Dossari

   
2. Steve   |  Sunday, 14 January 2007 at 9:42 am

   Thanks Chris!

   
3. Anonymous   |  Tuesday, 23 January 2007 at 9:45 am

   Help us close Guantanamo!

   Just saw Amnesty International have launched another cool campaign, a virtual trip to Guantanamo asking for it to be closed. I just joined and it’s fun.

   Give it a try, it’s for a good cause and it takes only 5 minutes. Posting some of the info from their site:

   “Where can you find bearded ladies, parachuting mermaids and Siamese pirate twins on the web? On the way to Guántanamo!

   Amnesty International has launched an animated online petition asking for people to join our flotilla travelling all the way to Guantánamo. We have already got thousands of people on the voyage with us. The travellers are taking part in AI’s latest online campaign to draw more people to our campaign against the US government to close Guantánamo.

   This online petition will run until 26 June, International day for the Protection of Victims of Torture.

   Help us pass the message! Please forward the link to as many people as you can (http://www.amnesty.org/guantanamoflotilla/) and ask them to sign up to the campaign and forward it to their friends and colleagues. People can also link to the flotilla from their website or blog. Find banners and buttons in English and Spanish here: http://web.amnesty.org/pages/stoptorture-bannersflotilla-eng. Together we can Close Guantánamo. Let’s give it a good try!

   Joining only takes a minute and it is a lot of fun. And while you’re there, have a look at how your friends and colleagues here have designed their outfits, done their hair and chosen their mode of transport — its a hoot! Have you always wanted a beard but were afraid to grow one? Now’s your chance!

   The campaign is gathering momentum and is creating quite a splash. Now we need your help to pass on the message. Can we count on you to keep up the momentum and ensure we get this awful detention site closed for good?

   Thanks, everyone!

   Amnesty International”

   Check out this link:
   http://www.amnesty.org/guantanamoflotilla