Comments on: Italy’s Guantánamo: Obama Plans “Rendition” Of Tunisians In Guantánamo To Italian Jail

By: Four Men Leave Guantánamo; Two Face Ill-Defined Trials In Italy « freedetainees.org

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:09:16 +0000

[...] perhaps sounds relatively innocuous, but as I reported in July, when the rumors first surfaced that Silvio Berlusconi had agreed to take a number of Tunisian [...]

By: Guantanamo Envoy: U.S. Should Have Taken Cleared Prisoners; Some Should Never Have Been Held | Vereniging Oeigoeren Nederland

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 11:36:09 +0000

[...] countries who have agreed to take cleared prisoners are Belgium, Ireland, Italy (although with some disturbing conditions), and Spain, and discussions are apparently ongoing with both Lithuania and [...]

By: Andy Worthington: Guantanamo As Hotel California: You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave | My 2 Cents Worth

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:15:31 +0000

[...] it seems, from the limited information made available — rumors that three Tunisians will be transferred to Italy and that some Tunisians and Algerians will be rehoused in Spain, and the recent news that Belgium [...]

By: Guantánamo As Hotel California: You Can Check Out Any Time You Like, But You Can Never Leave by Andy Worthington « Dandelion Salad

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:59:36 +0000

[...] but it seems, from the limited information made available — rumors that three Tunisians will be transferred to Italy and that some Tunisians and Algerians will be rehoused in Spain, and the recent news that Belgium [...]

By: Andy Worthington

Andy Worthington — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:01:34 +0000

Thanks for letting me know, Ann. If this goes ahead, I’m sure we’ll hear more about Macomer. It is worrying, as there’s such a racist element in Italian politics — and unlike the old days the left, like everywhere else, has withered away.

By: Andy Worthington

Andy Worthington — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:00:14 +0000

Ann Alexander wrote:

Thanks for another interesting article, Andy. I know two of the men in Macomer — Khalid and Yamine (his brother is held here on immigration bail). I have been writing to them for years now — other friends here correspond with them too. When I read about the plan to send three Tunisians to Italy from Guantanamo, I wondered if they would end up in Sardinia. Around 6 months ago, Khaled and Yamine, who had never been in the same prison since their arrest, were sent to Macomer and then I heard that Habib had joined them there. Their treatment is terrible.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know. Perhaps the intention of the Italians to imprison these Guantanamo guys will draw attention to Macomer. I have tried my best to raise awareness of this prison by writing to my MEP who responded enclosing a letter from the European Justice minister, Jacques Barrot. However, Mr. Barrot says that he does not have the power to intervene in individual cases.

By: Andy Worthington

Andy Worthington — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:10:17 +0000

Hi Umar,
Thanks for tipping me off to the story, and please do keep me informed. There are so many things to cover, as you know, but, beyond the Guantanamo angle of this story, it’s worrying that a government with racists in high office appears to have established a special offshore prison for Muslim prisoners.

By: Umar Abdullah

Umar Abdullah — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:27:23 +0000

Hi Andy,

thanks so much for publicising this. I really feel for the tunisian brothers in gitmo in particular, because that prison at Macomer appears to be one of the worst in Europe. Some of the stuff I read is horrific. I will send out something with some extracts from the letters soon hopefully.

For the tunisians, the italian press seems to think the following are going there :-

Moez Fezzani,Riad Nasri, Ben Maboruk Adel

The article is here in the online sardinian newspaper ( sorry its in italian, but sheikh google ibn Translate can probably help! ) :-

http://ricerca.quotidianiespresso.it/lanuovasardegna/archivio/lanuovasardegna/2009/07/05/SF2PO_SF201.html

WS and take care

Umar