Shaker Aamer the 44 year old Saudi Arabian citizen and the last British resident still held by the US in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for 12 years. Aamer has never been charged never received a trial, his lawyer says he is "totally innocent", and has been cleared for release by both the Bush administration in 2007, and the Obama administration in 2009 but still remains in Guantanamo. He has been described as a charismatic leader who spoke up and fought for the rights of fellow prisoners, and some have speculated that this might be a reason for his continued detention. Aamer alleges that he has been subject to torture while in detention. Murtaza Hussain in The Guardian article titled ‘Obama promised to close Guantanamo. Instead, he's made it worse’ states “In his letters, Shaker Aamer appeals in desperation to his captors and the outside world: "Please … torture me in the old way. Here they destroy people mentally and physically without leaving marks." …the father of four …is just one of hundreds of detainees who remain imprisoned... Despite running on an explicit campaign promise to shut down the island prison which has become a symbol of the abuses of the "war on terror", President Obama has continued to preside over its operation. And by recent accounts, under his tenure, the conditions … have become markedly worse. …the majority of prisoners at Guantanamo began a hunger strike in protest of alleged mistreatment at the hands of guards at the facility. …In the words of his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith: "I have known Shaker for some time; because he is so eloquent and outspoken about the injustices of Guantánamo, he is very definitely viewed as a threat by the US. Not in the sense of being an extremist, but in the sense of being someone who can rather eloquently criticize the nightmare that happened there." For those who have experienced and borne witness to beatings, torture, and even death at Guantánamo Bay over the past decade, Barack Obama has ensured that the prospect of freedom will remain as remote as ever.”  Inspired by Murtaza Hussain, The Guardian ow.ly/j4zQy Image source USA Govt ow.ly/j4zSI Please torture me in the old way (April 9 2013)

 

Shaker Aamer the 44 year old Saudi Arabian citizen and the last British resident still held by the US in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp for 12 years. Aamer has never been charged never received a trial, his lawyer says he is “totally innocent”, and has been cleared for release by both the Bush administration in 2007, and the Obama administration in 2009 but still remains in Guantanamo. He has been described as a charismatic leader who spoke up and fought for the rights of fellow prisoners, and some have speculated that this might be a reason for his continued detention. Aamer alleges that he has been subject to torture while in detention. Murtaza Hussain in The Guardian article titled ‘Obama promised to close Guantanamo. Instead, he’s made it worse’ states “In his letters, Shaker Aamer appeals in desperation to his captors and the outside world: “Please … torture me in the old way. Here they destroy people mentally and physically without leaving marks.” …the father of four …is just one of hundreds of detainees who remain imprisoned… Despite running on an explicit campaign promise to shut down the island prison which has become a symbol of the abuses of the “war on terror”, President Obama has continued to preside over its operation. And by recent accounts, under his tenure, the conditions … have become markedly worse. …the majority of prisoners at Guantanamo began a hunger strike in protest of alleged mistreatment at the hands of guards at the facility. …In the words of his lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith: “I have known Shaker for some time; because he is so eloquent and outspoken about the injustices of Guantánamo, he is very definitely viewed as a threat by the US. Not in the sense of being an extremist, but in the sense of being someone who can rather eloquently criticize the nightmare that happened there.” For those who have experienced and borne witness to beatings, torture, and even death at Guantánamo Bay over the past decade, Barack Obama has ensured that the prospect of freedom will remain as remote as ever.”

 

Inspired by Murtaza Hussain, The Guardian ow.ly/j4zQy Image source USA Govt ow.ly/j4zSI