WAR: Four Britons Released From Guantanamo, page 1

posted on Jan, 25 2005 @ 09:39 AM

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The four remaining Britons that were being held in Guantanamo Bay detention center, following arrests in Afghanistan were sent back to England today. The four men have been in U.S. custody for over the past three years. Moazzam Begg, Feroz Abbasi, Richard Belmar and Martin Mubanga will probably be arrested and questioned upon arrival in London, however their lawyers' plan to file suits against the U.S. for compensation. All four men claimed they were either abused or tortured.

www.sky.com
Mr Begg, a 37-year-old father-of-four, was arrested by the CIA in Pakistan in February 2002.

He was held at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan for a year before being sent to the naval camp in Cuba in early 2003.

He claims he was subjected to "vindictive torture" and death threats by the US authorities.

Muslim human rights groups and the men's lawyers say they should be freed and interviewed if necessary at a later date.

Clive Stafford-Smith, the lawyer who represents two of the detainees, said: "I would like to think that they will just let them go because these people have suffered enough."

The civil rights group Liberty said it hoped the men would be given a medical and psychiatric examination on arrival and be interviewed "if and when" they felt able.

Five British men released from Guantanamo Bay last March were held for a few hours for questioning by police before being freed without charge.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

It will be interesting to see if these men are also set free like the earlier released detainees. It is my opinion that the U.S. is cleaning house at Guantanamo to make room for high level detainees in Iraq who committed crimes against U.S and coalition soldiers.

[edit on 1-25-2005 by worldwatcher]

Nygdan

posted on Jan, 25 2005 @ 10:29 AM

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What was the reason for their release? Were any of the details of their case released by the gov?

QuietSoul

posted on Jan, 25 2005 @ 01:22 PM

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Doesnt matter why they were released.. obviously if they were release they were either a) no longer important or b) innocent of all cause..

These men claim they were tortured for information they could not provide..

Tortured..

Nygdan

posted on Jan, 25 2005 @ 01:32 PM

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Originally posted by QuietSoul
Doesnt matter why they were released

It certainly matters if you want to know why they were released, which, surprise surprise, I'd like to know. I am no insinuating that they should've been tortured or anything.

These men claim they were tortured for information they could not provide..
Tortured..

Claimed.....

Duzey

posted on Jan, 25 2005 @ 03:12 PM

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More information is sure to follow on this story. All four have been arrested by British authorities.

Peter Clarke, head of the Anti-Terrorist Branch, said police had discussed the case with representatives of Britain's Muslim community and recognized there were strong feelings about it. "But the fact is that we have an absolute duty on behalf of all communities to investigate the circumstances leading to the men's detention," Clarke said.

Four British detainees arrested on return to Britain from Guantanamo Bay

Duzey

posted on Feb, 5 2005 @ 10:55 PM

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An update on this story:

All four men were released by the UK government without charge. One of them, Martin Mubanga, has given an interview detailing the abuses he was subjected to under US detention.

On one occasion, he said, he was forced to urinate in the corner of the room; the interrogator then spread the urine over him with a mop.

"All the while he's racially abusing me, cussing me," Mubanga was quoted as saying.

On another occasion, Mubanga said, an interrogator stood on his hair and his leg chain, "so my shackles dug in really deep, cutting into my legs."

Briton from Guantanamo says he was abused in captivity

[edit on 5-2-2005 by Duzey]

Johnny Redburn

posted on Feb, 5 2005 @ 11:48 PM

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Originally posted by Nygdan

Originally posted by QuietSoul
Doesnt matter why they were released

It certainly matters if you want to know why they were released, which, surprise surprise, I'd like to know.

More to the point, I would like to know in detail why they were detained in first place. Saying that "They were believed to be a threat", and then not presenting any evidence as to why is just plain ridiculus.

Using that same logic I should just go around arresting and detaining any US government officials because "I believe they are a personal threat", then after months of torture and asking them pointless questions, such as "Where do you hide the mutated ninja's!?" I would release them and act as if nothing happened.

Originally posted by Nygdan

Originally posted by QuietSoul
These men claim they were tortured for information they could not provide..
Tortured..

Claimed.....

Well they were detained without charge, de-void of dignity and were given no respect, so I assume torture would be up there on the list of activities. It's not as if they would be hosting a tea party for them.