Five Years Guantánamo

Today marks the FIFTH anniversay of the first detainee arriving at the US prison facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The Center for Constitional Rights and other human rights organizations have declared today as the International Day to Shut Down Guantánamo (Read the Call to Action Here). International pressure and relentless media exposure contributed to the success of releasing the detainee Murat Kurnaz after more than four years captivity in Guantánamo.  But hundreds of other lower-profile detainess languish at the prison, for the most part forgotten. Today the LA Times publishes a letter from JUMAH AL-DOSSARI, a 33-year-old citizen of Bahrain, who has been held at Guantánamo without charges since 2002:

"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."

"I would rather die than stay here forever, and I have tried to commit suicide many times. The purpose of Guantanamo is to destroy people, and I have been destroyed. I am hopeless because our voices are not heard from the depths of the detention center.

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. "

Last weekend I saw the documentary film The Road to Guantanamo, about three British detainees who are now free.  I urge everyone to see it. And then take action.

Comments

[Sara Badaracco]

Hi,
Please pardon the intrusion, I have been searching for blogs that responded to Jumah Al-Dossari's letter to the American people. I am trying to evoke a direct response to that letter and am looking for people who would be willing to join me. On my site, www.mercyinitiative.com, there's a one-click link where you can sign a petition and also email congress about Jumah's situation.

Petition: http://gopetition.com/petitions/stop-torture-guantanamo-bay-detainee-jumah-al-dossari.html
Congress: http://www.mercyinitiative.com/Jumah.html

Thanks for reading. PLEASE TAKE A MOMENT TO TAKE ACTION on Jumah's behalf. Pass this on to anyone you think would be amicable. I welcome feedback and suggestions on how else we can help!

Thanks! -Sara