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The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Eleven, October to December 2011

Andy Worthington — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:32:44 +0000

Please support my work!

Since March 2006, I have been researching and writing about Guantánamo and the 779 men (and boys) held there, first through my book The Guantánamo Files, and, since May 2007, as a full-time independent investigative journalist. For three years, I focused on the crimes of the Bush administration and, since January 2009, I have analyzed the failures of the Obama administration to thoroughly repudiate those crimes and to hold anyone accountable for them, and, increasingly, on President Obama’s failure to charge or release prisoners, and to show any sign that Guantánamo will eventually be closed.

As recent events marking the 10th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo have shown, this remains an intolerable situation, as Guantánamo is as much of an aberration, and a stain on America’s belief in itself as a nation ruled by laws, as it was when it was opened by George W. Bush on January 11, 2002. Closing the prison remains as important now as it did when I began this work nearly six years ago.

Throughout my work, my intention has been to puncture the Bush administration’s propaganda about Guantánamo holding “the worst of the worst” by telling the prisoners’ stories and bringing them to life as human beings, rather than allowing them to remain as dehumanized scapegoats or bogeymen.

This has involved demonstrating that the majority of the prisoners were either innocent men, seized by the US military’s allies at a time when bounty payments were widespread, or recruits for the Taliban, who had been encouraged by supporters in their homelands to help the Taliban in a long-running inter-Muslim civil war (with the Northern Alliance), which began long before the 9/11 attacks and, for the most part, had nothing to do with al-Qaeda or international terrorism.

As I explained in the introduction to my four-part Definitive Prisoner List (updated in June last year), I remain convinced, through detailed research, through comments from insiders with knowledge of Guantánamo, and, most recently, through an analysis of classified military documents released by WikiLeaks, that “at least 93 percent of the 779 men and boys imprisoned in total” had no involvement with terrorism.

However, as this is a blog, rather than a specifically designed website, I recognize that it is increasingly difficult to navigate, as I approach 1500 posts. In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, and to provide easy access to the most important articles on the site, I have, in the last two years, put together ten chronological lists of all my articles, covering the periods May to December 2007, January to June 2008, July to December 2008, January to June 2009, July to December 2009, January to June 2010, July to December 2010, January to March 2011, April to June 2011 and July to October 2011, in the hope that they will provide a useful tool for navigation, and will provide researchers — and anyone else interested in this particularly bleak period of modern history — with a practical archive.

This list is the second of two covering my articles in the second half of 2011, and, throughout the three-month period covered by these articles, the main focus of my work was my ongoing analysis of the classified military documents released by WikiLeaks, which involved nine parts of my 70-part, million-word series, entitled, “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” in which I have been telling the prisoners’ stories, as revealed in the files, adding that to what was already known about the prisoners.

In particular, this project has involved me subjecting the US military’s allegations to a forensic analysis, in which I have established above all the alarming extent to which the supposed evidence actually consists of unreliable statements made by a handful of prisoners who are either well-known liars (because they were bribed with more favorable conditions, or they were coerced, or they had mental health problems) or were torture victims, held in secret CIA prisons, whose statements are therefore unreliable.

From November onwards, I wound down my involvement in “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” as it is, to be honest, an exhausting project, and I wanted to spend some time writing about other topics, and also to take time off to think about a source of funding to complete the project in a manner that will give it maximum impact.

As a result, I had the opportunity to focus on the extremely important Occupy movement, specifically in the US and in London, on the age of austerity cynically imposed for ideological reasons by the Tory-led coalition government in the UK (especially with relation to the NHS), on the economic crisis on Europe, and specifically in Greece, which has been made the primary scapegoat of the West’s orgy of greed and debt in the last 15 years, and on hunger strikes by prisoners held in solitary confinement in US prisons. I also wrote about the ongoing case of Bradley Manning, the alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower, and found time to briefly revisit the revolutionary movements in the Middle East — and specifically the situation in Egypt, Syria and British complicity in the torture of opponents of Col. Gaddafi in Libya, although I wish I had had more time to devote to all of these stories.

An archive of Guantánamo articles: Part Eleven, October to December 2011

October 2011

1. Military Commissions: Guantánamo: Military Commissions and the Illusion of Justice
2. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Four of Ten)
3. Jose Padilla: It Could Be You: The Sad Story of Jose Padilla, Tortured and Denied Justice
4. Anwar al-Awlaki: Death from Afar: The Unaccountable Killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki
5. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Five of Ten)
6. Shaker Aamer: “Ten Hours for Ten Years”: Demonstration for Shaker Aamer, the Last British Prisoner in Guantánamo, as Part of Protest Against the Afghan War in London on Saturday
7. Occupy Wall Street: Protestors in Washington D.C. Call for an End to the Afghan War on its 10th Anniversary, and the Transformation of American Politics
8. UK politics: NHS Privatisation: Protest on Sunday, as 400 Doctors Accuse Government of Planning “Irreparable Harm,” and Lords Prepare Opposition
9. Abu Zubaydah: Abu Zubaydah and the Silencing of Guantánamo’s “High-Value Detainees,” as the CIA Censors His Drawings
10. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Six of Ten)
11. US prisons: Pelican Bay and American Torture: Prisoners in Long-Term Isolation Continue Hunger Strike Despite Authorities’ Brutal Response
12. US prisons: As Pelican Bay Hunger Strikers Risk Death, Psychologist Testifies that Solitary Confinement is Torture
13. UK politics: Save the NHS: The Battle is Not Over, Despite the Lords’ Capitulation on the Privatisation Bill’s Second Reading
14. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Andy Worthington Attends New Screening of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” in Aberdeen University, October 21, 2011
15. Closing Guantánamo, Afghanistan war: A Call to Close Guantánamo on the 10th Anniversary of the War in Afghanistan
16. Occupy Wall Street, Occupy London: Occupy Wall Street, Occupy London, Occupy the World: Get Out on the Streets Today, and Don’t Go Home
17. Occupy London: Occupy London: Are We Free to Protest, or Is This a Police State?
18. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Seven of Ten)
19. Occupy London: Occupy London: As the Canon of St. Paul’s Welcomes the Protestors, They Issue a Statement of Intent
20. UK politics: Save the NHS: Please Sign the 38 Degrees Petition to Scrap the Tory-Led Government’s Privatisation Bill
21. Radio interviews, Omar Khadr: On Antiwar Radio, Andy Worthington Discusses the Omar Khadr Film, “You Don’t Like the Truth: 4 Days Inside Guantánamo”
22. UK travellers: The Dale Farm Eviction: Using Planning Laws to Justify Racism Towards Gypsies and Travellers
23. George W. Bush, torture: Rights Groups Call for the Arrest of George W. Bush for Torture as He Arrives in Canada
24. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Eight of Ten)
25. Guantánamo and Congress: Obama vs. Congress: The Struggle to Close Guantánamo, and to Prevent the Military Detention of Terror Suspects
26. Bradley Manning: UN Torture Expert Calls for an End to Solitary Confinement, Discusses Bradley Manning
27. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Nine of Ten)
28. Interviews: An Interview with Andy Worthington, Investigative Journalist and Author of “The Guantánamo Files,” for The Sunday Indian
29. Babar Ahmad: Sign the Petition to the British Government: Prevent Babar Ahmad’s Extradition to the US, Put Him on Trial in the UK
30. Occupy London: Occupy London: As Possible Eviction Looms, the Canon and Chaplain of St. Paul’s Resign, and Protestors Challenge the City’s Unaccountability
31. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Ten of Ten)

November 2011

32. Kuwaitis in Guantánamo: Life After Guantánamo: Kuwaitis Discuss Their Tortured Confessions
33. Occupy London: Occupy London Protestors Seize Moral High Ground, As Church Declares An End to Hostilities
34. Omar Khadr: No End to the Shameful Treatment of Omar Khadr
35. Babar Ahmad: Petition for Babar Ahmad to be Tried in the UK and Not Extradited to the US Reaches Target of 100,000 Signatures
36. Occupy Wall Street: How Iraq Veteran Scott Olsen, Beaten by Oakland Police, Became a Symbol of the Occupy Movement
37. UK politics: National Student-Led Demo Against University Fees, Austerity Cuts and the Planned Privatisation of Higher Education, November 9, 2011
38. Occupy Wall Street: It’s Bank Transfer Day, As Campaigners Ask US Banks to Repay $108 Billion and Call on Citizens to Open Credit Union Accounts
39. Greek crisis: Crisis in Greece: Experts Call for Return of the Drachma, As Prime Minister Cancels Bailout Referendum
40. Occupy Wall Street: Occupy USA: A Campaigning Message from Kevin Zeese in Washington D.C.
41. Greek crisis: We Are All Greece: Expert Explains How the Greek Crisis is Being Manipulated by Banks and Governments to Enslave Us All
42. Murdoch media: As Hackgate Resurfaces, John Pilger Criticizes Mainstream Media, Salutes Independent Investigative Journalists
43. UK politics: “The Banks Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Out”: Students March in London
44. Revolution in the Middle East: A Call from Egypt for Solidarity and Support for the Unfinished Revolution
45. UK politics: As Tories Approve Private Takeover of Hospital, Lords Challenge Plans to Let NHS Be Run By An Unaccountable Quango
46. Military Commissions: Trial at Guantánamo: What Shall We Do With The Torture Victim?
47. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses the Guantánamo Torture Trial with Scott Horton on Antiwar Radio
48. UK politics: Tories Ordered to Stop Hiding Their Damaging Risk Assessment for NHS Reform; Ask Your MP to Help
49. Greek crisis: New Perspectives on the Euro Crisis, and the Need for Greece to Default
50. Occupy Wall Street: Expressing Solidarity with Occupy Wall Street, as Court Prevents Violently Evicted Protestors from Re-Establishing Camp
51. Occupy Wall Street: Where now for Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement?
52. Closing Guantánamo: Don’t Forget the Guantánamo Prisoners Cleared for Release But Still Held
53. Occupy Wall Street: Celebrating Occupy Wall Street, and the November 17 Day of Action
54. Closing Guantánamo: It Costs $72 Million A Year to Hold Cleared Prisoners at Guantánamo
55. Occupy Wall Street: As Deficit Super Committee Fails, “Occupy” Activists in Washington, DC Provide Inspiring Plan for US Economy
56. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2007 (Part One of Ten)
57. Revolution in the Middle East: The Unfinished Revolution in Egypt: The People vs. The Military Junta
58. Shaker Aamer: After Ten Years in US Custody, British Resident Shaker Aamer “Is Gradually Dying in Guantánamo,” Says Clive Stafford Smith
59. Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Two New Screenings of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” — in New York and London
60. Bradley Manning: Hearing Date Set for Bradley Manning, the Alleged Whistleblower Who Exposed the Horrors of America’s Wars and of Guantánamo
61. UK politics: N30 Strike: 2 Million UK Workers to Protest Against Tory-Led Government Cuts
62. Greek crisis: Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay: Greeks Rise Up Against Austerity
63. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: As Judges Kill Off Habeas Corpus for the Guantánamo Prisoners, Will the Supreme Court Act?
64. UK politics: Misery for Nothing: 2 Million on Strike in the UK, As Tories’ Economic Plans Fail

December 2011

65. Shaker Aamer: British MPs Write to Congress to Complain About Guantánamo and to Demand the Release of Shaker Aamer
66. Guantánamo and Congress: Deranged Senate Votes for Military Detention of All Terror Suspects and a Permanent Guantánamo
67. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2007 (Part Two of Ten)
68. Guantánamo media: Please Vote for My Guantánamo Article to Win the 3 Quarks Daily Prize for Best Blog Article
69. Shaker Aamer: London Vigil for Shaker Aamer, the Last British Resident in Guantánamo, on Human Rights Day, December 10, 2011
70. Guantánamo media: Write to the Forgotten Prisoners in Guantánamo – for the 10th Anniversary of the Prison’s Opening on January 11, 2012
71. Guantánamo and Congress: Terrorists as Warriors: The Fatal Confusion at the Heart of the “War on Terror”
72. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Lawyer Laments the Death of Habeas Corpus for the Guantánamo Prisoners
73. Life after Guantánamo, Revolution in the Middle East: Will Egypt’s Military Government Free Former Guantánamo Prisoner Imprisoned Since June?
74. US prisons: Beyond Guantánamo, New York Times Examines How Federal Prisons Deal with Terrorists
75. Bagram, UK complicity in torture: British Court Orders Release of Bagram Prisoner Rendered by UK from Iraq, Held for Seven Years
76. Mohammed El-Gharani: An Extraordinary Interview with Former Guantánamo Child Prisoner Mohammed El-Gharani
77. Conditions in Guantánamo: Conditions at Guantánamo Under Scrutiny
78. Revolution in the Middle East: With 5000 Dead in Syria, Channel 4 Exposes President Al-Assad’s Horrendous Torture Program
79. Guantánamo 10th anniversary, US tour: Close Guantánamo: Andy Worthington Visits US, Attends National Day of Action in Washington D.C., January 11, 2012
80. Revolution in the Middle East, UK complicity in torture: Libyan Rebel Leader, Rendered by UK to Torture by US in Thailand and Gaddafi in Libya, Sues British Government
81. Omar Khadr: Christmas Thoughts for Omar Khadr, Still Held at Guantánamo
82. Guantánamo 10th anniversary, US tour: Ten Years of Guantánamo: Andy Worthington Visits the US to Campaign for the Closure of the Prison, January 5-15, 2012

Note: Please visit the website of the “Close Guantánamo” campaign, and sign up to join a growing body of people demanding that President Obama fulfill his unfulfilled promise to close the prison. Please also sign a new White House petition on the “We the People” website calling for the closure of Guantánamo. 25,000 signatures are needed by February 6 to secure a response from the President.

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in June 2011, “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” a 70-part, million-word series drawing on files released by WikiLeaks in April 2011, and details about the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, and available on DVD here — or here for the US). Also see my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Ten, July to September 2011

Andy Worthington — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:43:32 +0000

Please support my work!

For nearly six years, I have been researching and writing about Guantánamo and the 779 men (and boys) held there over the last ten years, first through my book The Guantánamo Files, and, since May 2007, as a full-time independent investigative journalist. For three years, I focused on the crimes of the Bush administration and, since January 2009, I have analysed the failures of the Obama administration to thoroughly repudiate those crimes and to hold anyone accountable for them, and, increasingly, on President Obama’s failure to charge or release prisoners, and to show any sign that Guantánamo will eventually be closed.

As the 10th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo approaches, this is an intolerable situation, as the prison remains as much of an aberration, and a stain on America’s belief in itself as a nation ruled by laws, as it was when it was opened by George W. Bush on January 11, 2002. Closing the prison remains as important now as it did when I began this work in 2006.

Over the last six years of researching Guantánamo and writing about it on an almost daily basis, my intention has been to puncture the Bush administration’s propaganda about Guantánamo holding “the worst of the worst” by telling the prisoners’ stories and bringing them to life as human beings, rather than allowing them to remain as dehumanized scapegoats or bogeymen.

As I explained in the introduction to my four-part Definitive Prisoner List (updated on June 1 last year), I remain convinced, through detailed research, through comments from insiders with knowledge of Guantánamo, and, most recently, through an analysis of classified military documents released by WikiLeaks, that “at least 93 percent of the 779 men and boys imprisoned in total” had no involvement with terrorism.

However, as this is a blog, rather than a specifically designed website, I recognize that it is increasingly difficult to navigate, as I approach 1500 posts. In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, and to provide easy access to the most important articles on the site, I have, in the last two years, put together nine chronological lists of all my articles, covering the periods May to December 2007, January to June 2008, July to December 2008, January to June 2009, July to December 2009, January to June 2010, July to December 2010, January to March 2011 and April to June 2011, in the hope that they will provide a useful tool for navigation, and will provide researchers — and anyone else interested in this particularly bleak period of modern history — with a practical archive.

This list is the first of two covering my articles over the last six months, and, in the next article in this series, I’ll cover everything I wrote between October and December 2011, bringing the archive of all my articles up to date.

Throughout the three-month period covered by these articles, the main focus of my work was my ongoing analysis of the classified military documents released by WikiLeaks, which involved 17 parts of my 70-part, million-word series, entitled, “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” in which I have been telling the prisoners’ stories, as revealed in the files, adding that to what was already known about the prisoners.

In this period, I was so busy that I wasn’t able to devote as much time as I would have liked to other topics of importance — the revolutionary movements in the Middle East, and the age of austerity cynically imposed for ideological reasons by the Tory-led coalition government in the UK, although I did find time to cover the problems with solitary confinement in US prisons, and the death penalty (in the case of Troy Davis), the phone-hacking scandal in the UK involving the Murdoch press, and NGOs’ opposition to the narrow focus of David Cameron’s planned torture inquiry. This was also the period in which I was involved in various projects to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and it was also the time when the Occupy movement began on Wall Street, which I took note of immediately, even though it took me 12 days to write about it!

An archive of Guantánamo articles: Part Ten, July to September 2011

July 2011

1. UK politics: Why We Need Regular Protests Against the Coalition Government’s Brutal Ideological Cuts
2. Uighurs in Guantánamo: Exiled Guantánamo Uighurs in Hamburg Art Exhibition
3. Guantánamo media: The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Eight, January to March 2011
4. UK politics: Leaked Letter Reveals Tory Welfare Reform Madness: 40,000 More Homeless Families, and An Increase in Cost
5. Torture: Torture “Does Not Work, And Is Wrong”: Former CIA Interrogator Glenn Carle Speaks Out
6. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Two of Ten)
7. Guantánamo media: The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Nine, April to June 2011
8. UK politics, Murdoch press: Why Would Anyone Trust David Cameron, As Police Arrest Andy Coulson?
9. Torture: Torture Whitewash: Probe of Two CIA Murders Ends Obama Administration’s Investigation of Bush’s Global Torture Program
10. UK torture inquiry: UK Torture Inquiry Boycotted by Lawyers, As David Cameron Fails Again to Demonstrate an Interest in Justice
11. John Walker Lindh: John Walker Lindh, Torture Victim and 9/11 Scapegoat, Profiled by His Father
12. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Three of Ten)
13. TV interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Al-Qaeda Film “The Oath” on Press TV
14. UK politics: A Good Day for Justice: British Supreme Court Bans Use of Secret Evidence by Intelligence Services
15. Torture: The Time is Right for Americans to Pay Attention to Human Rights Watch’s New Torture Report
16. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Four of Ten)
17. UK politics, Murdoch media: Waiting for the Fall of David Cameron
18. Murdoch media: News of the World Whistleblower Sean Hoare, Who Exposed Andy Coulson’s Knowledge of Phone-Hacking, Is Found Dead
19. UK politics, Murdoch media: Pie Attack on Rupert Murdoch is Highlight of Commons Hearing on News of the World Phone-Hacking
20. Guantánamo and Congress: Congress and the Dangerous Drive Towards Creating a Military State
21. US prisons: Support the Hunger Strikers of Pelican Bay, California, Calling for An End to Solitary Confinement as Official US Prison Policy
22. US prisons: The California Prison Hunger Strike Opposing Solitary Confinement as Torture — and the Insulting Response of Prison Officials
23. US prisons: Hellhole: The Most Devastating Article About Long-Term Solitary Confinement in US Prisons, and Why It Is Torture
24. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Five of Ten)
25. Life after Guantánamo: Video: Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Murat Kurnaz Tells His Story on Russia Today
26. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Guantánamo and the Death of Habeas Corpus

August 2011

27. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Six of Ten)
28. Life after Guantánamo, Revolution in the Middle East: Lawyers Appeal for Amnesty for Former Guantánamo Prisoner Held in Egypt (Adel El-Gazzar)
29. Revolution in the Middle East: Hosni Mubarak’s Trial Electrifies the Middle East, But Will Justice Be Served?
30. UK torture inquiry: Ten NGOs Withdraw from UK Torture Inquiry, Citing Lack of Credibility and Transparency
31. UK torture inquiry: Britain’s Secret Post-9/11 Torture Policy Revealed: Was Tony Blair’s Government Guilty of “Developing Something Close to a Criminal Policy”?
32. Torture: New Revelations About The Use of Water Torture at Guantánamo
33. UK politics: Michael Mansfield Defends Students’ Right to Protest, Criticizes Heavy Policing and Draconian Sentencing
34. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Guantánamo on the Talking Progressive Politics Show on Blog Talk Radio
35. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Seven of Ten)
36. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Eight of Ten)
37. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Nine of Ten)
38. Torture: More Evidence of the Use of Water Torture at Guantánamo and in Afghanistan and Iraq
39. Shaker Aamer: Fears for the Health of Shaker Aamer, the Last British Resident in Guantánamo
40. Guantánamo media, 9/11 anniversary: My New Article for the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, “When America Changed Forever,” in Australia’s Overland Magazine
41. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part Ten of Ten)
42. Revolution in the Middle East: An End to Gaddafi’s Tyranny: The Liberation of the Hated Abu Salim Prison
43. Noor Uthman Muhammed, Military Commissions: Tyler Cabot’s Important Profile of Guantánamo Prisoner Noor Uthman Muhammed for Esquire
44. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released After the Tribunals, 2004 to 2005 (Part One of Five)
45. Kuwaitis in Guantánamo: Can Kuwait Break the Guantánamo Deadlock?

September 2011

46. UK politics: The UK “Riots” and Why the Vile and Disproportionate Response to It Made Me Ashamed to be British
47. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released After the Tribunals, 2004 to 2005 (Part Two of Five)
48. UK politics: Save the NHS: Make No Mistake, the Government Plans to Privatise Our Precious Health Service
49. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released After the Tribunals, 2004 to 2005 (Part Three of Five)
50. UK politics: Save the NHS: As Lib Dems Vote to Support Tory Privatisation Plans, The Last Hope is the House of Lords
51. UK politics, Iraq: The Baha Mousa Inquiry: A Good Day for British Justice, A Bleak Day for the British Army and Their US Mentors
52. Dick Cheney: Ten Years After 9/11, America Deserves Better than Dick Cheney’s Self-Serving Autobiography
53. Guantánamo media, 9/11 anniversary: In FAIR’s Extra! Magazine, Andy Worthington on 9/11, Guantánamo and the Failures of US Corporate Media
54. TV interviews, 9/11 anniversary: Andy Worthington Discusses 9/11 and America’s Disproportionate and Mistaken Response on Russia Today
55. Guantánamo media, 9/11 anniversary: The Center for Constitutional Rights Marks “The 9/11 Decade and the Decline of US Democracy”
56. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released After the Tribunals, 2004 to 2005 (Part Four of Five)
57. Life after Guantánamo: In Afghanistan, Former Guantánamo Prisoners Reflect on Their Ruined Lives
58. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released After the Tribunals, 2004 to 2005 (Part Five of Five)
59. Tunisians in Guantánamo, Revolution in the Middle East: Tunisians Call for the Release of Prisoners in Guantánamo
60. Ahmed Errachidi: Ahmed Errachidi, Guantánamo Prisoner 590: The Cook Who Became The General
61. Guantánamo media, 9/11 anniversary: After Ten Years of the “War on Terror,” It’s Time to Scrap the Authorization for Use of Military Force
62. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part One of Ten)
63. Russians in Guantánamo: The Black Hole of Guantánamo: The Sad Story of Ravil Mingazov
64. Death penalty: The Horror of America: Georgia Set to Execute Troy Davis, Despite His Conviction Being Riddled with Doubt
65. WikiLeaks: UPDATED – WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo (Part One of Five)
66. Death penalty: RIP Troy Davis: Your Killers Should Be Ashamed
67. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: US Injustice Laid Bare, As Afghan in Guantánamo Loses His Habeas Appeal
68. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Two of Ten)
69. WikiLeaks: The Complete Guantánamo Files: WikiLeaks and the Prisoners Released in 2006 (Part Three of Ten)
70. Occupy Wall Street: “Occupy Wall Street”: My Support for the Protestors in the “Financial Gomorrah of America”
71. UK travellers: The Dale Farm Eviction: How Racism Against Gypsies and Travellers Grips Modern-Day Britain
72: Revolution in the Middle East: “Syria: Inside the Secret Revolution” – Harrowing BBC Documentary Tells the Truth About Bashar Al-Assad’s Brutality

The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Nine, April to June 2011

Andy Worthington — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:15:39 +0000

Please support my work!

For over five years, I have been researching and writing about Guantánamo and the 779 men (and boys) held there over the last nine and a half years, first through my book The Guantánamo Files, and, since May 2007, as a full-time independent investigative journalist. For nearly three years, I focused on the crimes of the Bush administration and, since January 2009, I have turned my attention to the failures of the Obama administration to thoroughly repudiate those crimes and to hold anyone accountable for them, and, increasingly, on President Obama’s failure to charge or release prisoners, and to show any sign that Guantánamo will eventually be closed.

My intention, all along, has been to bring the men to life through their stories, dispelling the Bush administration’s rhetoric about the prison holding “the worst of the worst,” and demonstrating how, instead, the majority of the prisoners were either innocent men, seized by the US military’s allies at a time when bounty payments were widespread, or recruits for the Taliban, who had been encouraged by supporters in their homelands to help the Taliban in a long-running inter-Muslim civil war (with the Northern Alliance), which began long before the 9/11 attacks and, for the most part, had nothing to do with al-Qaeda or international terrorism. As I explained in the introduction to my four-part Definitive Prisoner List (updated on June 1 this year), I remain convinced, through detailed research, through comments from insiders with knowledge of Guantánamo, and, most recently, through an analysis of classified military documents released by WikiLeaks, that “at least 93 percent of the 779 men and boys imprisoned in total” had no involvement with terrorism.

However, as this is a blog, rather than a website, I recognize that it is increasingly difficult to navigate, as there are so many “Categories,” and, most crucially, there is no access to articles in anything other than reverse chronological order. In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, and to provide easy access to the most important articles on the site, I have, in the last 18 months, put together eight chronological lists of all my articles, covering the periods May to December 2007, January to June 2008, July to December 2008, January to June 2009, July to December 2009, January to June 2010, July to December 2010 and January to March 2011, in the hope that they will provide a useful tool for navigation, and will provide researchers — and anyone else interested in this particularly bleak period of modern history — with a practical archive.

This particular list was initially intended to bring the story up to date by covering my articles over the last six months, but as I examined my output, and realized that I now publish far more than I did even a year ago, I thought that, to make it more manageable, I’d publish it in two halves. Part Eight (published on July 3) therefore covers the period from January to March 2011, and this part covers April to June.

In terms of Guantánamo, this was a fascinating time for a revival of interest in the prison, as a counterpart to the sorry story of how, lacking courage, President Obama failed to stand up to critics in his own party, and particularly in the Republican Party, which has, over the last two years, become thoroughly cynical and negative, seizing opportunistically on Guantánamo as a win-win situation, involving the relentless use of a policy of fearmongering on a population largely starved of genuinely informative mainstream media.

In the last week of April, WikiLeaks arrived to shatter the veil of silence and apathy that had grown up around Guantánamo. Having been approached by Julian Assange to act as an independent media partner, I was the point of liaison between WikiLeaks and its mainstream media partners (the Washington Post, McClatchy Newspapers, the Daily Telegraph, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, El Pais, La Repubblica, L’Espresso and Aftonbladet) in the release of 765 classified military files (the Detainee Assessment Briefs) containing assessments of almost all of the 779 men held in the prison since it opened on January 11, 2002.

I helped these media outlets to understand what to look for in the files, as I explained in my articles, WikiLeaks Reveals Secret Guantánamo Files, Exposes Detention Policy as a Construct of Lies and How to Read WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files, which were both written originally for WikiLeaks, and I have since begun a detailed file-by-file analysis of all the documents, which will continue until Christmas, as well as updating my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list with reference to some of these developments (and also including photos from the files). However, back in early May, after a frantic week of TV and radio interviews on my part, alongside various articles by the media partners, the US government seized back the initiative by arranging for Osama bin Laden to be assassinated in Pakistan.

This distressing Wild West scenario — designed, it seemed, to appeal to the extrajudicial murderer apparently lurking deep in the American psyche — was also supposed to kick-start Obama’s re-election bid, although it also became a convenient peg on which unprincipled advocates of endless war, of torture and of the continued existence of Guantánamo could drape their feeble, self-seeking arguments which, nevertheless, gained traction in the US media.

Throughout this three-month period, I also conducted a major review of the situation at Bagram, in Afghanistan, where the Geneva Conventions have not made a return since the Bush years and prisoners have none of the legal rights of the Guantánamo prisoners. Nevertheless, although the laws of wartime detention have been rewritten, there is a review process in place (albeit one that the Supreme Court found “inadequate” when used at Guantánamo), and prisoners do sometimes secure their release, unlike at Guantánamo, where the only man to leave in this period, who was severely mentally ill, departed in a coffin.

Beyond Bagram, I continued to follow the story of Bradley Manning, the alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower, and his distressing treatment by the US government. I also continued to monitor the revolutionary developments in the Middle East (primarily in Syria), and also, on various fronts, in the UK, where I focused on university fees, the threat to the NHS, and how welfare reforms are leading to an increase in suicides amongst the disabled. I also looked at strike action in the UK, and the huge protests taking place in Greece and Spain against savage austerity cuts and mass unemployment.

Thank you again, my readers and supporters, for your continuing support of my work, which, as I regularly explain, is nothing without you. The most important thing to me is that my work is read, and circulated to others who will find it of interest, but I am also, of course, a self-employed new media journalist, reliant upon a handful of organisations — and also on the generosity of my supporters — to financially support the relentless output that is captured here. As a result,, if you would like to support my work (much of which was produced without any financial support whatsoever), then please feel free to donate via the PayPal button above.

Much work, sadly, remains to be done in order to try to secure the closure of Guantánamo, as the 10th anniversary of the prison’s opening approaches (on January 11, 2012), and also to maintain calls for those who authorised the use of torture to be held accountable for their actions. All three branches of government — the administration, the courts and Congress — have failed on both fronts, and this is particularly depressing, two and a half years after the Bush administration left office. However, those of us who care simply cannot give up. On these points, I believe, we are fighting for the very soul of America against dangerous people who are determined to continue the erosion of the principles — or, at least, the values and aspirations — on which America was founded.

An Archive of Guantánamo Articles — Part Nine, April to June 2011

April 2011

1. Revolution in the Middle East: Torture and Terrorism: In the Middle East It’s 2011, In America It’s Still 2001
2. Bagram: Updating the Definitive Bagram Prisoner List — 200 Review Board Decisions to Release, Transfer or Detain Added
3. Bagram: Broken Justice at Bagram — for Afghans, and for Foreign Prisoners Held by the US
4. Bagram: Voices from Bagram: Prisoners Speak in Their Detainee Review Boards (Part One of Three)
5. Military Commissions, 9/11 trial: Holder, Obama and the Cowardly Shame of Guantánamo and the 9/11 Trial
6. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses the Guantánamo Prisoners’ “Habeas Hell” and Obama’s Cowardly Retreat on the 9/11 Trial on Antiwar Radio
7. US protests: After Wisconsin and the “We Are One” Rallies, Where Now for Mass Protest in America?
8. Bagram: The “Dark Side” of Bagram: An Ex-Prisoner’s Account of Two Years of Abuse
9. Guantánamo media: On Guantánamo and Torture, Campaigners Send A Letter to the Justice Department: “US Democracy is in Far Sorrier Shape Than We Feared”
10. Bagram: Bagram and Beyond: New Revelations About Secret US Torture Prisons in Afghanistan
11. UK politics: Battle for Britain: The Government’s Idiocy on Increased University Tuition Fees Revealed
12. 9/11 trial: The 9/11 Indictment: The Case We Would Have Seen In New York Had A Federal Court Trial Proceeded
13. Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks: On the Torture of Bradley Manning, Obama Ignores Criticism by UN Rapporteur and 300 Legal Experts
14. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: How the Supreme Court Gave Up on Guantánamo
15. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Guantánamo and the Failure of US Justice Under Obama with Peter B. Collins
16. Guantánamo media: The New Yorker’s Hendrik Hertzberg Criticizes Obama for Failure to Close Guantánamo, or to Call for Accountability for Torture
17. Bagram: Voices from Bagram: Prisoners Speak in Their Detainee Review Boards (Part Two of Three)
18. Revolution in the Middle East: Syria: On Independence Day, Calls for Freedom and Protests About the Torture of Activists and Journalists
19. Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks: US Intelligence Veteran Defends Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks
20. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: More Judicial Interference on Guantánamo
21. Interviews: Former Guantánamo Prisoner Khaled Ben Mustapha Interviewed by Cageprisoners
22. Revolution in the Middle East: The Roots of Revolution in Syria: The Sad Tale of Tal Al-Mallouhi, A Girl Imprisoned for Blogging
23. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks Reveals Secret Guantánamo Files, Exposes Detention Policy as a Construct of Lies
24. TV interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses the Significance of WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files on Democracy Now!
25. WikiLeaks: The New Yorker’s Amy Davidson Captures the Despair in WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files
26. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files on the BBC World Service and Press TV
27. WikiLeaks: The Hidden Horrors of WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files
28. Torture: Study Says Doctors at Guantánamo Neglected Or Concealed Evidence of Torture, Plus My Interview with Press TV
29. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files with Scott Horton on Antiwar Radio
30. Interviews: Andy Worthington Tells the Truth About WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files in an Interview with Alexa O’Brien

May 2011

31. WikiLeaks: How to Read WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files
32. Radio interviews: On CounterSpin, Andy Worthington Discusses WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files, Lucinda Marshall Discusses Exposé of Author Greg Mortensen
33. Radio interviews: The Nation Conversations: Andy Worthington Discusses WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files with Kevin Gosztola
34. Osama bin Laden: With Osama bin Laden’s Death, the Time for US Vengeance Is Over
35. WikiLeaks: Scaremongers Fail to Undermine WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Revelations
36. Osama bin Laden, Torture: Osama bin Laden’s Death, and the Unjustifiable Defense of Torture and Guantánamo
37. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Revelations on the Michael Slate Show
38. TV interviews: Andy Worthington Tears Down the Osama Bin Laden “Torture Debate” on Press TV
39. Osama bin Laden, Torture: New York Times Attempts to Stifle Torture Debate It Helped Spark in the Wake of Osama bin Laden’s Death
40. Guantánamo and the Supreme Court: The Abandonment of Guantánamo’s Uighurs and Attorney Sabin Willett’s Powerful Requiem for Habeas Corpus in the US
41. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Two New UK Screenings of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” with WikiLeaks Partner Andy Worthington – in Leicester and Hull
42. Life after Guantánamo, Revolution in the Middle East: Tunisian Freed from Guantánamo and Sent Home from Italy Reflects on His Imprisonment
43. WikiLeaks: Abandoned in Guantánamo: WikiLeaks Reveals the Yemenis Cleared for Release for Up to Seven Years
44. WikiLeaks: Col. Morris Davis Discusses Guantánamo, Torture and Intelligence in the Wake of the Latest WikiLeaks Revelations
45. Osama bin Laden, Guantánamo and Congress: No End to the “War on Terror,” No End to Guantánamo
46. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo (Part One of Five)
47. Radio interviews: On Antiwar Radio, Andy Worthington Discusses Pro-Torture Propaganda in the Wake of Osama bin Laden’s Death
48. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Five New UK Screenings of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” with WikiLeaks Partner Andy Worthington — in London, Cardiff, Shropshire and York
49. Abu Zubaydah, Torture: “High-Value Detainee” Abu Zubaydah Blinded By the Bush Administration
50. UK politics: Act Now to Save the NHS, as Government Advisor Claims Reforms Will Show “No Mercy” and Allow “Big Opportunity” for Profiteering
51. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo (Part Two of Five)
52. Deaths in Guantánamo: The Only Way Out of Guantánamo Is In a Coffin
53. Deaths in Guantánamo: Guantánamo Suicide Was Severely Mentally Ill, And Was A Case of Mistaken Identity
54. Shaker Aamer: During State Visit by Barack Obama, Amnesty International Asks David Cameron to Call for Return from Guantánamo of Shaker Aamer
55. John Walker Lindh: Free John Walker Lindh, Scapegoat of the “War on Terror”
56. Guantánamo and Congress: Rights Groups Tell Congress: Vote No to Dangerous New “War on Terror” Provisions
57. Guantánamo and Congress: White House Threatens to Veto War Provisions and Restrictions on Closing Guantánamo in Defense Bill
58. Shaker Aamer: During Obama’s UK Visit, Shaker Aamer’s Children – and Campaigners – Call for His Return from Guantánamo
59. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the 14 Missing Guantánamo Files
60. Guantánamo and Supreme Court, Torture: Supreme Court Fails to Tackle Torture – in the Past or in the Future
61. Amnesty International: Happy Birthday, Amnesty International: Peter Benenson’s “The Forgotten Prisoners” Published 50 Years Ago Today
62. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses WikiLeaks and Guantánamo with Linda Olson-Osterlund on KBOO FM in Portland, Oregon
63. Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks: Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks: New Film by the Guardian Tells His Troubling Story
64. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo (Part Three of Five)

June 2011

65. Guantánamo media, WikiLeaks: Guantánamo: The Definitive Prisoner List — Updated for 2011, With New Information and Photos from WikiLeaks
66. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Open City: New London Film Festival Screening of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo,” UCL, June 19, 2011
67. Military Commissions. 9/11 trial: The 9/11 Trial Timewarp: It’s February 2008 Again
68. Revolution in the Middle East: Syria: After the Brutal Torture and Murder of 13-Year Old Hamza Al-Khateeb, The Revolution Will Not Be Silenced
69. UK politics: Brutal Benefit Cuts for the Disabled Are Leading to Suicides in the UK
70. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Bring Shaker Aamer Home: Parliamentary Screening of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo,” London, Tuesday June 21, 2011
71. TV interviews: Video: Andy Worthington Discusses the Omar Khadr Film “You Don’t Like the Truth” on Press TV
72. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo (Part Four of Five)
73. Deaths in Guantánamo: On the 5th Anniversary of the Disputed Guantánamo “Suicides,” Jeff Kaye Defends Scott Horton
74. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the 22 Children of Guantánamo
75. Deaths in Guantánamo: Teleconference: Five Years After Disputed “Suicides” at Guantánamo, Father of Dead Man Appeals Court’s Refusal to Consider His Case
76. Deaths in Guantánamo: Relatives of Disputed Guantánamo Suicides Speak Out As Families Appeal in US Court
77. Life after Guantánamo: Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Adel Al-Gazzar Returns Home to Egypt and Is Arrested
78. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo (Part Five of Five)
79. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Obama’s Permanent Guantánamo with Scott Horton on Antiwar Radio
80. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Lawyers: Justice Department Finally Allows Attorneys to See Leaked Guantánamo Files, But Not to Download, Save or Print Them
81. TV interviews: Video: Andy Worthington Discusses the Omar Khadr Film “You Don’t Like the Truth” on Press TV (Part Two)
82. Obituaries: A Tribute to Anti-War Campaigner Brian Haw, Driven by Revulsion at the Murder of Innocents
83. Torture, Accountability: Rights Groups Tell Obama: Reward Those Who Opposed America’s Use of Torture in the “War on Terror”
84. Stonehenge: Happy Summer Solstice to the Revellers at Stonehenge — Is it Really 27 Years Since the Last Free Festival?
85. Guantánamo media: Write to the Forgotten Prisoners in Guantánamo (Summer 2011)
86. UK politics: June 30: A National Day of Action Against the Incompetent Tory-Led Coalition and Its Savage Ideological Cuts
87. European protests: The Revolution Reaches Europe: Tens of Thousands Protest in Greece and Spain
88. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Judges Keep Guantánamo Open Forever
89. Shaker Aamer: Video: Sarah Gillespie Plays Her Song About Shaker Aamer, “How the West Was Won,” Live in London (with Gilad Atzmon)
90. WikiLeaks: WikiLeaks and the Guantánamo Prisoners Released from 2002 to 2004 (Part One of Ten)
91. Abu Ghraib, Torture: US Supreme Court Refuses to Allow Abu Ghraib Torture Victims to Sue Military Contractors
92. Abu Ghraib, Torture: In the US, on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, A Glimmer of Hope Amidst the Hypocrisy

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in June 2011, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, on tour in the UK throughout 2011, and available on DVD here — or here for the US), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Eight, January to March 2011

Andy Worthington — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 19:58:34 +0000

Please support my work!

However, as this is a blog, rather than a website, I recognize that it is increasingly difficult to navigate, as there are so many “Categories,” and, most crucially, there is no access to articles in anything other than reverse chronological order. In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, and to provide easy access to the most important articles on the site, I have, in the last 18 months, put together seven chronological lists of all my articles, covering the periods May to December 2007, January to June 2008, July to December 2008, January to June 2009, July to December 2009, January to June 2010 and July to December 2010, in the hope that they will provide a useful tool for navigation, and will provide researchers — and anyone else interested in this particularly bleak period of modern history — with a practical archive.

This list was initially intended to bring the story up to date, but as I examined my output over the last six months, and realized that I now publish far more than I did even a year ago, I thought that, to make it more manageable, I’d publish it in two halves. This part therefore covers the period from January to March 2011, and Part Nine (to be published soon) will cover April to June.

In terms of Guantánamo, this was another bleak period, confirming President Obama’s inability to close the prison. With the support of The World Can’t Wait, I visited New York and Washington D.C. in January to mark the ninth anniversary of the opening of the prison with a protest outside the White House, and numerous events and TV appearances, but although there was more mainstream media interest than in previous years it did nothing to effect any major changes. In the last six months, just one prisoner left Guantánamo alive — an Algerian who was repatriated against his will. Two others left in coffins — an Afghan who died in February, and another to be covered in Part Nine, who died in May — bringing the prison’s population to 171.

Beyond these distressing stories, the D.C. Circuit Court maintained its opposition to any lower court ruling that would have led to the release of any prisoner, thereby ensuring that, between Congress, the courts and the administration itself, every option for prisoners to leave Guantánamo alive has been closed down. This is a particularly bleak situation, made all the more depressing by the public’s indifference, and by the full-scale return of the reviled Military Commission trial system, replacing federal court trials, which Obama apparently found too difficult to champion, despite securing a successful outcome in the only Guantánamo-related federal court trial that has taken place — that of former CIA “ghost prisoner” Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, who received a life sentence in January.

A further disappointment came in March, when President Obama established, by executive order, a framework for granting periodic reviews to 48 prisoners who had been approved for indefinite detention without charge or trial by the Guantánamo Review Task Force, an inter-agency group of officials and lawyers who had reviewed all the Guantánamo cases in 2009. This was a particular low point, as the Task Force had concluded that the men were too dangerous to release, even though there was no evidence against them that would stand up in any court, and Obama agreed, thereby attempting to justify arbitrary detention on the basis of hearsay or other unreliable testimony produced through torture, coercion or bribery.

In the hope of providing further education about Guantánamo, I traveled to Poland in February, for a week-long tour of a subtitled version of the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo,” which I co-directed with Polly Nash, and that same month I also began a UK tour of the film, mainly with Amnesty International student groups, although some of these dates had to be cancelled when I became ill — although I’m glad to be able to confirm that I am now fully recovered.

The Polish tour coincided with one of the few areas in which the hope is still alive that Bush administration officials and lawyers will one day be held accountable for their actions in presiding over, authorizing and approving a global torture program. An investigation is ongoing into the Polish government’s role in the creation and management of a secret CIA torture prison in Poland, in 2002-03, and another hopeful incident also came in early February, when President Bush cancelled a trip to Switzerland, after lawyers prepared a torture indictment to be submitted on his arrival. As a result, it is now fair to say that George W. Bush is probably unable to travel to any country that has signed up to the UN Convention Against Torture, as he faces prosecution for having bragged in his autobiography that he authorised the torture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

With little activity on the Guantánamo front (until WikiLeaks published classified military documents relating to the prisoners in April), and with what news there was being so relentlessly bleak, I allowed myself the opportunity to cover other important events — the revolutionary movements in Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Libya and Syria, workers’ agitation in the United States, the ongoing pre-trial imprisonment in solitary confinement of the alleged Wikileaks whistleblower Bradley Manning, and the disgraceful program of ideologically motivated cuts to the British state by the Frankenstein’s Monster coalition government of the Tories and Lib Dems.

As ever, I thank you, my readers and supporters, for your continuing support of my work, which is nothing without you. As I mentioned above, I’ll be publishing Part Nine of this list in the near future, bringing the story up to date, but in the meantime, if you would like to support my work financially (as much of this work was produced without any financial support whatsoever), then please feel free to donate via the PayPal button above.

An archive of Guantánamo articles: Part Eight, January to March 2011

January 2011

February 2011

43. Military Commissions: Guantánamo and the Military Commissions: Revolution Interview with Andy Worthington
44. Revolution in the Middle East: Revolution in Egypt – and the Hypocrisy of the US and the West
45. Revolution in the Middle East: Guantánamo: A Tale of Two Tunisians
46. Deaths in Guantánamo: Guantánamo Prisoner Dies After Being Held for Nine Years Without Charge or Trial (Awal Gul)
47. Guantánamo media: The 11-Year Old American Girl Who Knows More About Guantánamo Than Most US Lawmakers
48. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Bringing Guantánamo to Poland — and Talking About the Secret CIA Torture Prison
49. Deaths in Guantánamo: In Afghanistan, 5,000 Attend Funeral of Prisoner Who Died in Guantánamo, as Afghan Peace Council Calls for Release of Former Taliban Official
50. Yemenis in Guantánamo: A Cry for Help from Guantánamo: Adnan Latif Asks, “Who Is Going to Rescue Me From the Injustice and the Torture I Am Enduring?”
51. Revolution in the Middle East: In Egypt, Protests Undimmed, as Mubarak Prepares to Cede Power, Torture Stories Emerge and the Revolution Finds a Hero in Wael Ghonim
52. Revolution in the Middle East: Protestors in Egypt Remain Angry and Determined as Mubarak Fails to Quit
53. Shaker Aamer, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Amnesty Calls Treatment of Shaker Aamer, the Last British Resident in Guantánamo, A “Mockery of Justice,” Announces Andy Worthington’s Film Tour in Support of Shaker’s Release
54. Revolution in the Middle East: As Mubarak Resigns, Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Mamdouh Habib Reminds the World that Omar Suleiman Personally Tortured Him in Egypt
55. UK politics: Battle for Britain: Fighting the Coalition Government’s Vile Ideology — and Praise for UK Uncut
56. Revolution in the Middle East: In Post-Mubarak Egypt, Protestors Demand A Date for Free and Fair Elections from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
57. Revolution in the Middle East: Responding to Egypt’s Revolution, President Bouteflika Violently Suppresses Protest in Algeria
58. Torture: Andy Worthington Discusses His Polish Tour of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” and the Secret CIA Torture Prison in Poland on Antiwar Radio
59. Aafia Siddiqui: Compelling New Evidence About Aafia Siddiqui’s Detention by the ISI, and Her Rigged Trial in the US
60. UK politics: Battle for Britain: Resisting the Privatization of the NHS and the Loss of 100,000 Jobs
61. George W. Bush, Accountability for torture: George W. Bush, War Criminal, Is Not Welcome in Europe
62. Military Commissions, Torture: Hiding Horrific Tales of Torture: Why The US Government Reached A Plea Deal with Guantánamo Prisoner Noor Uthman Muhammed
63. Life after Guantánamo: Moazzam Begg Interviews Former Guantánamo Prisoner Saber Lahmer in Paris
64. George W. Bush, Accountability for torture: The Indictment for Torture Filed Against George W. Bush (Part One: The Facts)
65. David Hicks, Life after Guantánamo: Empathy and Self-Reflection: An Extraordinary Article by Jason Leopold About His Friendship with Former Guantánamo Prisoner David Hicks
66. Yemenis in Guantánamo: Another Desperate Letter from Guantánamo by Adnan Latif: “With All My Pains, I Say Goodbye to You”
67. David Hicks, Life after Guantánamo: Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner David Hicks Gives His First Interview — To Jason Leopold of Truthout
68. Revolution in the Middle East: Revolution in Libya: Protestors Respond to Gaddafi’s Murderous Backlash with Remarkable Courage; US and UK Look Like the Hypocrites They Are
69. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: First US Film Festival Date: “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” Screens at the D.C. Independent Film Festival, Washington D.C., March 5, 2011
70. Military Commissions: After Recent Ruling in the Case of Bin Laden’s Cook, Guantánamo Should Close by July 2012 (Ibrahim al-Qosi)
71. Revolution in the Middle East: The Year of Revolution: The “War on Tyranny” Replaces the “War on Terror”
72. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses the “Political Prisoners” of Guantánamo on Antiwar Radio
73. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Habeas Hell: How the Great Writ Was Gutted at Guantánamo
74. Revolution in the Middle East: Is This the Endgame for Gaddafi’s Murderous Regime in Libya?
75. Radio interviews: Video: Andy Worthington Discusses the Revolution in Libya with Ernest Hancock
76. UK torture inquiry, Shaker Aamer: Lawyers and Human Rights Groups Criticize Proposed UK Torture Inquiry, As the Government Fails to Address the Return of Shaker Aamer, the Last British Resident in Guantánamo
77. UK torture inquiry: NGO Letter to Chair of UK Torture Inquiry, Raising Concerns About Possible Whitewash
78. Revolution in the Middle East: Tunisia: The Unfinished Revolution, as Prime Minister Resigns, Despite Progress on Elections and the Release of Political Prisoners
79. US protests: The New American Revolution: Are Wisconsin’s 100,000 Protestors A Sign of Further Resistance to Come?
80. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Two Bradford International Film Festival Screenings of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo,” March 26 and 27, 2011

March 2011

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in June 2011, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, on tour in the UK throughout 2011, and available on DVD here — or here for the US), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

Guantánamo: The Definitive Prisoner List — Updated for 2011, With New Information and Photos from WikiLeaks

Andy Worthington — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:21:20 +0000

Please support my work!

Since I began my quest to discover the stories of the Guantánamo prisoners, and to bring those stories to the world, which I first embarked upon over five years ago, I have endeavoured to make that information as accessible as possible. A major step in achieving this took place in March 2009, when I first produced my four-part Definitive Guantánamo Prisoner List, providing the names and nationalities of all 779 prisoners, and, in over 90 percent of those cases, links to my own articles about Guantánamo (around 300 at that point), providing more information about them, or references for where their stories appear in my book The Guantánamo Files or in 12 additional online chapters.

I updated the list in January and July 2010, and have now updated it again. See Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four.

This latest update not only provides links to the 300 or so articles I have written in the last year, but also, crucially, includes information from the latest documents to be released by WikiLeaks, the classified military files, known as Detainee Assessment Briefs (DABs), which were released at the end of April. I worked as a media partner with WikiLeaks, and as a result I’m pleased to include information about 86 prisoners that was not previously known (from an ongoing five-part series of articles, entitled, WikiLeaks: The Unknown Prisoners of Guantánamo), and also to include dozens of previously unseen photos. I’ll be conducting further analysis of the WikiLeaks documents over the next few months, and will add further links as this work progresses.

As a result, when this five-part series is complete and the relevant links have been added to this list, it will provide, for the first time, references (mostly in the form of links) to the stories of all of the 779 prisoners held in Guantánamo (with the exception of three missing stories).

This is not, of course, the only online database that is publicly available. The New York Times, for example, has made all the publicly available information about the prisoners, from the Bush-era Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) and annual Administrative Review Boards (ARBs), available on its Guantánamo Docket (and the original source material remains available on the US Department of Defense’s website), although these only cover the stories of around three-quarters of the 779 prisoners held in total. In addition, there is now WikiLeaks’ trove of Detainee Assessment Briefs (DABs), supplementing these documents with crucial insights into how the authorities reached the often mistaken conclusions highlighted in the earlier documents.

However, with the exception of two articles that I wrote for WikiLeaks, introducing the Detainee Assessment Briefs (WikiLeaks Reveals Secret Guantánamo Files, Exposes Detention Policy as a Construct of Lies and How to Read WikiLeaks’ Guantánamo Files), my list provides the only contextual analysis of the stories of all the prisoners held at Guantánamo throughout its long and dark history.

As a result, as I explained when I first published the list:

It is my hope that this project will provide an invaluable research tool for those seeking to understand how it came to pass that the government of the United States turned its back on domestic and international law, establishing torture as official US policy, and holding men without charge or trial neither as prisoners of war, protected by the Geneva Conventions, nor as criminal suspects to be put forward for trial in a federal court, but as “illegal enemy combatants” [or "unlawful enemy combatants," or, as they now are under President Obama, "alien unprivileged enemy belligerents"].

I also hope that it provides a compelling explanation of how that same government, under the leadership of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, established a prison in which the overwhelming majority of those held — at least 93 percent of the 779 men and boys imprisoned in total — were either completely innocent people, seized as a result of dubious intelligence or sold for bounty payments, or Taliban foot soldiers, recruited to fight an inter-Muslim civil war that began long before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and that had nothing to do with al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden or international terrorism.

In conclusion, I would like to reiterate how fundamental the problem is of confusing soldiers with terrorists, and how it is a problem enshrined in the founding legislation of the “War on Terror,” the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which President Obama relies upon to justify the detention of prisoners at Guantánamo, and which lawmakers in the House of Representatives recently voted to expand.

I would also like to add that Guantánamo’s problems are not all in the past. Although 600 of the 779 prisoners held throughout the prison’s nine-year history have been released, 171 remain, and the last two prisoners to leave the prison (in February, and last month) left in coffins. The stories of these men, which I wrote about in my articles, Guantánamo Prisoner Dies After Being Held for Nine Years Without Charge or Trial, The Only Way Out of Guantánamo Is In a Coffin and Guantánamo Suicide Was Severely Mentally Ill, And Was A Case of Mistaken Identity, provide a somber epitaph for President Obama’s hopes of closing the prison, based on the bold promise to do so that he made on his second day in office, and then failed to fulfill.

It is not entirely his own fault, as there are dark forces at work — in the D.C. Circuit Court, where deeply Conservative judges are undermining the prisoners’ habeas corpus rights, granted by a Supreme Court that no longer seems to care, and in Congress, where the most cynical, negative, fearmongering Republican party of all time, with the help of cowardly Democrats, has been working overtime to try and ensure that Guantánamo remains open forever.

Nevertheless, Barack Obama is the President, and the Commander-in-Chief, and he has failed to adequately challenge his critics, or to stand up for the principles which so many of his supporters at the time of his election had been led to believe would result in a thorough repudiation of the Bush administration’s hideous novelties in its brutal and ill-conceived “War on Terror.” Instead, we have the return of kangaroo courts and indefinite detention without charge or trial, as we had under Bush, no release for prisoners cleared for release by Obama’s own Guantánamo Review Task Force, no prosecutions for torturers, and no end in sight to the endless war that the Bush administration started, and which Obama has ramped up with drone strikes and assassinations.

In many ways, therefore, this updated list provides crucial, relevant information — “actionable intelligence,” even — that is actively useful for those still seeking to close Guantánamo, and to bring to an end this bleak chapter in American history.

And believe me, a concerted effort is required if those of us who regard Guantánamo as an abomination and a vile aberration from internationally acceptable standards of detention and the humane treatment of prisoners are ever to see it close.

As ever, I thank you for your support, and if you’re able to make a donation to help me to continue my work, then I will be very grateful. Please click on the “Donate” button above to make a payment via PayPal. All contributions are welcome, whether it’s $25, $100 or $500.

For anyone interested in anniversaries, it is exactly four years since I began writing about Guantánamo as a full-time freelance investigative journalist (following the 14 months that I spent researching and writing The Guantánamo Files), and this is also my 1300th blog post.

Andy Worthington
London, June 1, 2011

Technical note: If you have problems with text overlaying any of the photos in the list, please click “refresh,” and the problem should be resolved.

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Digg and YouTube). Also see details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, on tour in the UK throughout 2011, and available on DVD here — or here for the US), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

Quarterly Fundraiser Day 3: Sponsor One of My Articles for $50!

Andy Worthington — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:17:42 +0000

Please support my work!

It’s Day 3 of my quarterly fundraising appeal, in which I take a short break from pounding my typepad into submission with despair at Obama’s cowardice, disdain for US lawmakers and the right-wing judges of the D.C. Circuit Court, and, instead, harangue you, my readers (in the nicest way possible, hopefully) for financial support to supplement my income as an independent investigative journalist. My target is $1,500, and thanks are due to the friends and supporters who have so far donated $540.

If you can help out at all, please click on the “Donate” button above to make a payment via PayPal. All contributions are welcome, whether it’s $25, $50, $100 or $500, and you can pay via PayPal without even having to log in to the system. As one of my supporters explained, “Just type your details and when they ask you to use PayPal, do not log in. It says, ‘continue without log in.’ Simple. Straightforward.”

Readers can pay via PayPal from anywhere in the world, but if you’re in the UK and want to help without using PayPal, you can send me a cheque (address here — scroll down to the bottom of the page), and if you’re not a PayPal user and want to send a check from the US (or from anywhere else in the world, for that matter), please feel free to do so, but bear in mind that I have to pay a $10/£6.50 processing fee on every transaction. Securely packaged cash is also an option!

In an attempt to keep things creative, I’m revisiting a proposal I slipped into a fundraising update yesterday, providing links to the 28 original articles I have written for free for this website since my last fundraising appeal in December. These articles, written in between my regular assignments for my part-time employers at Cageprisoners and the Future of Freedom Foundation, cover some of my usual turf — Guantanamo and torture — but also cover the revolutionary upheavals in the Middle East, the unprincipled assaults on the British state (in the areas of education, welfare, the NHS and much more) that are being undertaken, with indecent haste and relish, by the arrogant, inexperienced and ideologically driven coalition government in the UK, the reawakened stirrings of labor activism in the US, the saga of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, and the plight of the alleged WikiLeaks whistleblower Bradley Manning.

On the spur of the moment while writing that article, I suggested that readers could, if they wished, cover the otherwise unpaid hours I spent writing these articles (which are published exclusively here on my website, at the rate of two a week, on average) by sponsoring an article that they particularly liked. I was reassured when one supporter immediately offered to sponsor one of these articles, for $50, which now has a note thanking him for his support.

In a way, I suppose, this idea arose out of the “Like”, “Share” and “Retweet” buttons that we encounter all the time in our browsing, crossed with the “Donate” buttons that many of us in the reader-funded new media — as opposed to the advertising-led traditional media — rely on to supplement our income from other sources. I think it could catch on as another way of supporting writers who, all too often, end up unrewarded for their work, so if you want to try it out, please go ahead, and I’ll have you added as a sponsor of your chosen article in no time!

Thanks again for all your support, which I appreciate wholehearedly, whether or not you choose to — or are able — to support me financially. I haven’t forgotten — and I hope I never will — that spreading the word about injustice and encouraging people to take action is in many ways its own reward, and that I’m fortunate to have so many people who follow my work with such great enthusiasm.

Andy Worthington
London
March 11, 2011

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in July 2010, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, on tour in the UK throughout 2011, and available on DVD here), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

Quarterly Fundraiser Day 2: 28 Reasons to Support the Work of Guantánamo Expert Andy Worthington

Andy Worthington — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:35:18 +0000

Please support my work!

Yesterday, I published a fundraising appeal (as I do every three months), asking my readers and supporters to help me raise $1500 to fund the maintenance and technical support of my website, and also to cover the otherwise unpaid hours I spend writing the many articles that are published exclusively here, doing radio interviews, and, often, traveling in the UK and beyond to talk about Guantánamo, President Obama’s disgraceful failure to close the prison, the cynical negative campaigning of mainly Republican lawmakers in the US, the British government’s inexplicable failure to secure the return of Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in Guantánamo, and how, as a result of the obstacles raised by Obama, the D.C. Circuit Court and Congress, the majority of the prisoners still held in Guantánamo can legitimately be regarded as political prisoners.

As I mentioned yesterday, If you can help out at all, please click on the “Donate” button above to make a payment via PayPal. All contributions are welcome, whether it’s $25, $50, $100 or $500, and you can pay via PayPal without even having to log in to the system. As one of my supporters explained, “Just type your details and when they ask you to use PayPal, do not log in. It says, ‘continue without log in.’ Simple. Straightforward.”

Thanks to the kindness of my friends and supporters yesterday, I have so far raised nearly $300 towards my target of $1500, but to provide a reminder of the many unpaid hours I spend writing articles that are published exclusively here, without any financial support at all, I’ve compiled below a list of 28 articles that I’ve written for free since my last fundraiser in December.

As distinct from the articles I write regularly for Cageprisoners and the Future of Freedom Foundation (for which I am paid, and which mainly focus on Guantánamo), these articles received no financial backing whatsoever, and mostly involve me branching out into new territory — the revolutionary upheavals in the Middle East, the unprecedented assault on the British state that is being waged by the coalition government in the UK, the WikiLeaks saga and the case of Bradley Manning, and the first stirrings of workers’ unrest in the US, at the protests in Madison, Wisconsin.

I know that these articles have been read many thousands of times, shared on Facebook, linked to, cross-posted and otherwise circulated, so if you think they’re worth more than nothing, then please consider making a donation. $1500 for my work on these articles would work out at around $50 an article, so you can, if you want, sponsor an article, and I’ll add your name to it.

1. Ten Thoughts About Julian Assange and WikiLeaks
2. Video: 15-Year Old Tells UK Government Why It Has Radicalised A Generation
3. Summoning Up the Spirit of Ronnie Lane: The Triumphant Return of Slim Chance
4. Tell the UK and US Governments We Need A Deadline for the Return of Shaker Aamer from Guantánamo
5. Is Bradley Manning Being Held as Some Sort of “Enemy Combatant”?
6. Christmas at Guantánamo
7. The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Seven, July to December 2010
8. Former CIA “Ghost Prisoner” Abu Zubaydah Recognized as “Victim” in Polish Probe of Secret Prison
9. Torture and Despair: The Psychic Roots of the Revolution in Tunisia, Egypt and Across the Middle East
10. The 11-Year Old American Girl Who Knows More About Guantánamo Than Most US Lawmakers
11. Bringing Guantánamo to Poland — and Talking About the Secret CIA Torture Prison
12. In Afghanistan, 5,000 Attend Funeral of Prisoner Who Died in Guantánamo, as Afghan Peace Council Calls for Release of Former Taliban Official
13. In Egypt, Protests Undimmed, as Mubarak Prepares to Cede Power, Torture Stories Emerge and the Revolution Finds a Hero in Wael Ghonim
14. Protestors in Egypt Remain Angry and Determined as Mubarak Fails to Quit
15. As Mubarak Resigns, Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Mamdouh Habib Reminds the World that Omar Suleiman Personally Tortured Him in Egypt
16. Battle for Britain: Fighting the Coalition Government’s Vile Ideology — and Praise for UK Uncut
17. In Post-Mubarak Egypt, Protestors Demand A Date for Free and Fair Elections from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces
18. Battle for Britain: Resisting the Privatization of the NHS and the Loss of 100,000 Jobs
19. The Indictment for Torture Filed Against George W. Bush (Part One: The Facts)
20. Revolution in Libya: Protestors Respond to Gaddafi’s Murderous Backlash with Remarkable Courage; US and UK Look Like the Hypocrites They Are
21. The Year of Revolution: The “War on Tyranny” Replaces the “War on Terror”
22. Is This the Endgame for Gaddafi’s Murderous Regime in Libya?
23. Tunisia: The Unfinished Revolution, as Prime Minister Resigns, Despite Progress on Elections and the Release of Political Prisoners
24. The New American Revolution: Are Wisconsin’s 100,000 Protestors A Sign of Further Resistance to Come?
25. How the Abu Salim Prison Massacre in 1996 Inspired the Revolution in Libya
26. Death Penalty for Bradley Manning, the Alleged WikiLeaks Whistleblower?
27. Pressure for Change Continues in Egypt: PM Resigns And Constitutional Amendments Are Announced, But Some Protestors Have Disappeared or Been Convicted by Military Courts
28. As the Government Gleefully Butchers the State, Mervyn King Blames Banks for Cuts, Questions Public Indifference and Warns of Future Crisis

Note: The photo at the top of the article is from a panel discussion I organized at the New America Foundation in Washington D.C. on January 11 this year. For a video of the event, see Video: “Nine Years of Guantánamo: What Now?” — Andy Worthington, Morris Davis, Tom Wilner and Ben Wittes at the New America Foundation, January 11, 2011.

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in July 2010, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, on tour in the UK throughout 2011, and available on DVD here), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

Quarterly Fundraiser: Help Me Raise $1500 for My Work on Guantánamo, Torture … and Much More!

Andy Worthington — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:10:13 +0000

Please support my work!

Every three months, I put out a request for my readers and supporters to help keep me afloat financially. If you can help out at all, please click on the “Donate” button above to make a payment via PayPal. All contributions are welcome, whether it’s $25, $100 or $500, and I’m hoping to raise $1500 to cover the cost of running the site, and some important technical upgrades, as well as covering the otherwise unpaid hours I spend writing the many articles that are published exclusively here.

Since my last fundraising appeal, at the start of December, I have been busier than ever, covering not only Guantánamo, torture and other aspects of the “War on Terror,” as I have been doing solidly for the last five years, but also branching out into new territory — the revolutionary upheavals in the Middle East, the unprecedented assault on the British state that is being waged by the coalition government in the UK, the WikiLeaks saga and the case of Bradley Manning, and the first stirrings of workers’ unrest in the US, at the protests in Madison, Wisconsin.

Thanks to your interest in my work, I now have more readers than ever. My website received over 250,000 page visits last month, and is regularly ranked by Technorati as one of the Top 100 World Politics Blogs (no. 44 at the time of writing). I’m also close to reaching my limit of 5,000 friends on Facebook, where my work is regularly shared by a wonderfully supportive community of activists and concerned citizens of the world, and I recently received my 1,000th follower on Twitter. In addition, a great recognition of the importance of my work took place in January, when this website was archived by the British Library.

Nevertheless, although I receive regular financial support from Cageprisoners (for whom I write two original articles a week) and the Future of Freedom Foundation (for whom I write a weekly column), much of my work remains unpaid — in particular, my forays into new areas of commentary, research and analysis, as mentioned above, and some of the costs associated with my outreach work. In the last few months, this has involved a visit to the US to protest about President Obama’s failure to close Guantánamo, as the prison began its 10th year of operations, a week-long Polish tour of a sub-titled version of the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (which I co-directed with Polly Nash), and my ongoing UK tour of the film, which mainly involves screenings to Amnesty International student groups.

My thanks to everyone who has supported my work to date, and who has helped to demonstrate that, in the new media world of the Internet, independent voices can be heard, and that the mainstream media no longer has a monopoly on what is newsworthy and what isn’t. Without your support, this experiment I began almost exactly five years would have come to nothing, and I mean it when I say that I would be nowhere without you. If you can contribute to help me to continue chronicling the often untold stories of Guantánamo and the “War on Terror,” to fill in the gaps left by the mainstream media’s analysis, and to reach out into new territory, then I’ll be grateful, as it will demonstrate that reader-supported new media can indeed be a viable alternative to the advertiser-funded mainstream.

Above all, however, I’m happy if you continue following my work, sharing it, tweeting it, Digging it, cross-posting it, linking to it, and generally making it as widely available as possible. In the last few months, extraordinary stories of the courage, determination and solidarity of the people have emerged from the Middle East, suggesting that real hope and change are possible, and I’m reassured also by signs of an awakening of awareness, in the countries of the West, that we too have powerful enemies to defeat.

These are still dark times for the world, but I shall continue tracking the lights of hope, standing up for universal human rights, seeking ustice and demanding accountability from those in power, even when it seems to be a lost cause, and I hope that you will continue to accompany me on this journey.

Andy Worthington
London
March 9, 2011

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in July 2010, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, on tour in the UK throughout 2011, and available on DVD here), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles.

Andy Worthington Archived by the British Library’s UK Web Archive

Andy Worthington — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 10:47:58 +0000

I’m delighted to report that my website Andy Worthington has been chosen by the British Library as part of its UK Web Archive.

As the curators explain:

The UK Web Archive contains websites that publish research, that reflect the diversity of lives, interests and activities throughout the UK, and demonstrate web innovation … There are millions of UK websites. They are constantly changing and even disappearing. Often they contain information that is only available online. Responding to the challenge of a potential “digital black hole”, the UK Web Archive is there to safeguard as many of these websites as practical. Its purpose is to collect, preserve and give permanent access to key UK websites for future generations … The archive is free to view, accessed directly from the Web itself and, since archiving began in 2004, has collected thousands of websites.

I regard this is a great honour, and a recognition of my work, and those interested in accessing the archive of my site (which was archived on January 12, and will be updated at regular intervals) can do so here. The page indexing the site is here, and see here for a BBC article about the UK Web Archive.

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in July 2010, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, and available on DVD here), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.

The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles — Part Seven, July to December 2010

Andy Worthington — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 15:01:32 +0000

Please support my work!

For five years, I have been researching and writing about Guantánamo and the 779 men (and boys) held there over the last nine years, first through my book The Guantánamo Files, which tells the story of the prison and around 450 of the prisoners, and then through 12 online chapters, which provide information about the majority of the other 329 prisoners (see the links in the left-hand column). Since May 2007, I have followed up on this project, working as a full-time independent investigative journalist, covering stories as they develop, and focusing in particular on the stories of released prisoners, the Military Commission trial system, and the prisoners’ progress in the courts, through their habeas corpus petitions. For nearly three years, I focused on the crimes of the Bush administration and, since January 2009, I have turned my attention to the failures of the Obama administration to thoroughly repudiate those crimes and to hold anyone accountable for them, and, increasingly, on the Obama administration’s failure to charge or release prisoners, and to show any sign that Guantánamo will eventually be closed.

My intention, all along, has been to bring the men to life through their stories, dispelling the Bush administration’s rhetoric about the prison holding “the worst of the worst,” and demonstrating how, instead, the majority of the prisoners were either innocent men, seized by the US military’s allies at a time when bounty payments were widespread, or recruits for the Taliban, who had been encouraged by supporters in their homelands to help the Taliban in a long-running inter-Muslim civil war (with the Northern Alliance), which began long before the 9/11 attacks and, for the most part, had nothing to do with al-Qaeda or international terrorism. As I explained in the introduction to my four-part Definitive Prisoner List (which I hope to update in the near future), I remain convinced, through detailed research and through comments from insiders with knowledge of Guantánamo, that “at least 93 percent of the 779 men and boys imprisoned in total” had no involvement with terrorism.

However, as this is a blog, rather than a website, I recognize that it is increasingly difficult to navigate, as there are so many “Categories,” and, most crucially, there is no access to articles in anything other than reverse chronological order. In an attempt to remedy this shortcoming, and to provide easy access to the most important articles on the site, I have, in the last year, put together six chronological lists of all my articles, covering the periods May to December 2007, January to June 2008, July to December 2008, January to June 2009, July to December 2009, and January to June 2010, in the hope that they will provide a useful tool for navigation, and will provide researchers — and anyone else interested in this particularly bleak period of modern history — with a practical archive.

This latest list brings the story up to date, covering my articles in the last six months, from July to December 2010. I’d like to say that progess was made in this period, but in fact the opposite is true, and over the last six months the activities of the Obama administration, of Congress, and of the D.C. Circuit Court, have ensured that Guantánamo may not close while Obama is in office.

Just seven prisoners — out of the 97 cleared for release by the President’s interagency Guantánamo Review Task Force — were released in the last six months. This was the lowest six-monthly total since 2002, and was largely because of the unprincipled moratorium on releasing any Yemenis (amounting to guilt by nationality) that was announced by the President last January after hysteria greeted the news that the failed Christmas Day plane bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (a Nigerian), had been recruited in Yemen. Under international pressure, the administration released a solitary Yemeni who had won his habeas corpus petititon, but no one cared — or seems to care still — that there was no basis to connect the remaining 58 Yemenis cleared for release by Obama’s interagency Guantánamo Review Task Force to a terrorist cell that had sprung up in Yemen in the last few years, or to presume that any released prisoner would somehow end up joining this cell. In fact, as the year came to an end, Congress also embroiled itself in the arguments, unconstitutionally including provisions in spending bills preventing the President from releasing any prisoner to a country regarded by lawmakers as dangerous — a list that included Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

When it came to trying any of the 35 prisoners that the Task Force recommended for trials, there was also little movement. Two men — Ibrahim al-Qosi, a sometime cook for Osama bin Laden’s entourage, and former child prisoner Omar Khadr — were put forward for trials by Military Commission, but were persuaded to accept plea deals so that the administration could avoid the embarrassment of actually proceeding with trials. In Khadr’s case, however, this could not disguise the fact that the Obama administration had proceeded with the first war crimes trial of a child prisoner since World War II, in spite of international treaties designed to guarantee the rehabilitation rather than the punishment of child soldiers, and, moreover, had done so by persuading Khadr to confess to war crimes that had been invented by Congress.

In October, the only man transferred from Guantánamo to the US mainland to face a federal court trial — Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, a suspect in the 1998 African embassy bombings, and a former CIA “ghost prisoner” — was convicted on just one of the 285 charges that he faced, by a jury that was evidently unwilling to accept that he was a major player, but was prepared to accept that he was not entirely blameless. Despite the fact that Ghailani faces 20 years to life in prison, critics seized on the result as a failure, the administration did not protest enough that the result was actually a success, and, at year’s end, Congress responded with another unconstitutional power grab, including other provisions in the spending bills mentioned above, which prohibited any Guantánamo prisoner from being brought to the US mainland for any reason, and also prevented the administration from purchasing a prison on the US mainland to rehouse them. This was a naked ploy to prevent the administration from proceeding with the federal court trial of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and four other men accused of involvement in the 9/11 attacks, which had been announced by Attorney General Eric Holder in November 2009.

With little movement on releasing any of the 90 cleared prisoners still held, and the administration unable to proceed with federal court trials and unwilling to proceed with trials by Military Commission for any of the 33 men recommended for trials by the Task Force (after criticism of the appalling treatment of Omar Khadr), the final stumbling block to the closure of Guantánamo concerns the 48 prisoners recommended for indefinite detention without charge or trial by the Task Force. This was always an unacceptable proposal, as it risked permanently enshrining indefinite detention as US policy, and it was not reassuring that, instead of allowing these men’s habeas petitions to proceed, and relabeling those found to be have been soldiers as prisoners of war, administration officials announced instead that they were preparing an executive order endorsing the men’s detention, but providing them with the opportunity to have their cases periodically reviewed.

On habeas corpus, this was also a bleak period. Although two Yemenis won their habeas petitions, they are still held (and the government seems to have decided that appealing sucessful petitions — even in the case of an innocent man with severe mental health problems — is preferable to releasing them), and five other men lost their petitions, in part because the administration was happy for the notoriously Conservative D.C. Circuit Court to overturn successful petitions, and to propose a standard for detention that would have pleased the most hardline members of the Bush administration. This, too, remains a disgrace, and it is not reassuring that, with the retirement of Justice John Paul Stevens, the Supreme Court, which may be called upon to review the basis of detention at Guantánamo for a fourth time, now has a default position on national security issues that is more right-wing than it was under President Bush.

In an attempt to highlight the plight faced by the remaining 174 prisoners at Guantánamo, I undertook a major project, beginning in September, telling the stories of all of these men. The first eight parts have been published (and are available here), and the ninth will follow soon.

Outside of Guantánamo, the administration continued to resist calls for accountability for the Bush administration’s torturers, invoking the little-known and little-used “state secrets” doctrine to prevent petitioners from even gaining access to a US courtroom with their complaints. This was the case with five men subjected to “extraordinary rendition” and torture in a variety of secret prisons, who had attempted to sue Jeppesen Dataplan Inc., a Boeing subsidiary, for its role as the CIA’s travel agent for torture, and it was a ploy that was so successful — despite being a blatant misuse of the precedent, cynically shielding any government activity from scrutiny by proclaiming “national security” concerns — that the administration also used it to prevent challenges to distressing innovations introduced under Obama — drone killings in Pakistan, and the unprecedented claim that, without any review process whatsoever, the President could order the assassination of US citizens abroad.

In sharp contrast to the US, the last six months were a significant period for activities relating to the accountability of the British government for its involvement in the “War on Terror,” with the new coalition government promising to establish a judicial inquiry into British complicity in torture abroad, and, in November, reaching a financial settlement with 15 former prisoners — and with Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in Guantánamo. This arose because of a need to stem the dangerous leak of revelations about the complicity in torture of senior government officials (including Tony Blair and Jack Straw), which — again in stark contrast to the US — were emerging on the order of senior judges from a civil claim for damages filed by seven former prisoners. Despite the protestations of the coalition government, however, the financial settlement not only established a precedent for other countries to follow, but also involved the tacit admission of guilt. It was, therefore, enormously important, even though it has not, to date, led to the release of Shaker Aamer, for whom a campaign is ongoing.

On the domestic front, the coalition government is involved in an internal struggle regarding the reform of the Labour government’s reviled anti-terror legislation, and specifically, the future of control orders (a form of house arrest for men held without charge or trial on the basis of secret evidence), which had not been resolved by the end of the year. I will continue to cover this story this year, especially as the high-profile arguments within the government about the use of secret evidence do not currently extend to other men, held without charge or trial in similar circumstances in their homes, or in prison, while the government attempts to deport them to their home countries, where they face the risk of torture.

In addition, other aspects of UK politics also featured heavily in my work in the last few months of the year, as I began responding to the government’s ideologically-driven programme of savage cuts to university budgets, and to the welfare state, playing my part in the creation of a broad anti-cuts coalition that recognizes that, without a focus on the financial crimes committed in the City, and the loss of revenue through massive corporate tax evasion, the future for the UK promises to be increasingly bleak for anyone who is not either rich or super-rich. I expect that this campaign will consume more of my time in the months to come.

The other big story of the last six months, of course, was WikiLeaks, and I covered various aspects of the story — the release of the classified Iraqi war logs, the release of the classified US diplomatic cables, the revelations about the suppression of torture investigations in Germany and Spain, the pursuit of Julian Assange by the US government, and the cult of personality that has built up around him, and the worrying isolation of Bradley Manning. I anticipate that this, too, will remain a major story into 2011, especially regarding those aspects of the story that deal with the freedom of the media, and the freedom of the Internet.

On the work front, this was a good time for me, as I continued working part-time for Cageprisoners as a Senior Researcher and writing a weekly column as a policy advisor for the Future of Freedom Foundation, and also wrote the occasional article for the Guardian and Truthout. I also undertook several TV and radio appearances, some of which are listed below. In addition, I visited the US in October for a week of events, “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week, which brought together a wonderful group of anti-torture writers, lawyers, activists and other experts, and was devoted to raising awareness about torture, and, in particular, about the crimes committed by John Yoo, author of the notorious Justice Department “torture memos” in 2002, who is now, disgracefuly, a law professor at US Berkeley. I also continued showing the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (which I co-directed with Polly Nash) at various locations in the UK, and was delighted to take part in two conferences in London organized by Amnesty International.

As ever, I thank my benefactors and supporters for their continuing support of my work. I’m visiting the US from January 6-12 to call for the closure of Guantánamo on the 9th anniversary of the prison’s opening, and will also continue to attend screenings of “Outside the Law” in venues across the UK — some in conjunction with Amnesty International. I will also, of course, be writing assiduously about Guantánamo, continuing the work I began five years ago. As the year ended, I asked my supporters to help me raise $1000 to help me continue the many aspects of my work for which I receive no financial support, and was delighted to receive $1200. However, this is an ongoing request, and, as a result, if you would like to support my work financially, please feel free to donate via the PayPal button above.

An archive of Guantánamo articles: Part Seven, July to December 2010

July 2010

1. Life after Guantánamo: “It was better in Guantánamo,” Complains Egyptian Held in Slovak Detention Center
2. UK complicity in torture: Torture Complicity Under the Spotlight in Europe (Part One): The UK
3. Moazzam Begg: Dangerous Game: A Reply to Gita Sahgal and Her Supporters
4. UK anti-terror laws: Fighting Ghosts: An Interview with Husein Al-Samamara
5. Life after Guantánamo: Who Are the Three Ex-Guantánamo Prisoners on Hunger Strike in Slovakia?
6. Life after Guantánamo: Calls for Review of Punitive Sentences for Ex-Guantánamo Tajiks
7. European complicity in torture: Torture Complicity Under the Spotlight in Europe (Part Two): Germany and France
8. Military Commissions: Bin Laden Cook Accepts Plea Deal at Guantánamo Trial (Ibrahim al-Qosi)
9. UK complicity in torture: A Cautious Welcome for British Torture Inquiry
10. Guantánamo media: The Guantánamo Files: An Archive of Articles – Part Six, January to June 2010
11. Guantánamo media: The Guantánamo Archive: 3 Years, 650 Articles Listed Chronologically
12. Guantánamo media: Guantánamo: The Definitive Prisoner List (Updated for Summer 2010)
13. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Judge Orders Release from Guantánamo of Yemeni Seized in Iran, Held in Secret CIA Prisons (Hussein Almerfedi)
14. Prisoners released from Guantánamo: Innocent Student Finally Released from Guantánamo (Mohammed Hassan Odaini)
15. UK complicity in torture: UK Sought Rendition of British Nationals to Guantánamo; Tony Blair Directly Involved
16. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington on Guantánamo: Four Powerful Radio Shows
17. Obituaries: RIP Charly Gittings: We’ve Just Lost One of the Good Guys
18. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: Defiance in Isolation: The Last Stand of Omar Khadr
19. UK complicity in torture: Omar Deghayes Complains About “Highly Selective” Disclosure of UK Documents Relating to his Interrogations in Bagram and Guantánamo
20. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: Omar Khadr Accepts US Military Lawyer for Forthcoming Trial by Military Commission
21. Torture: How Jay Bybee Has Approved the Prosecution of CIA Operatives for Torture
22. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Guantánamo and Habeas Corpus: Prisoners Win 3 out of 4 Cases, But Lose 5 out of 6 in Court of Appeals (Part One)
23. UK complicity in torture: Reprieve Demands Resignation of “Fatally Compromised” Head of UK Torture Inquiry
24. Life after Guantánamo: Former Guantánamo Prisoners in Slovakia Finally Receive Residence Permits
25. Prisoners released from Guantánamo: Obama and US Courts Repatriate Algerian from Guantánamo Against His Will; May Be Complicit in Torture
26. Abu Zubaydah, Guantánamo and habeas corpus: In Abu Zubaydah’s Case, Court Relies on Propaganda and Lies
27. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Guantánamo and Habeas Corpus: Prisoners Win 3 out of 4 Cases, But Lose 5 out of 6 in Court of Appeals (Part Two)
28. Omar Khadr: A Letter from Omar Khadr in Guantánamo
29. UK anti-terror laws: Ruling sends message on control orders (in the Guardian)
30. Return to torture: Guantánamo Algerian Returns Home; Will Obama Suspend Further Transfers?
31. Life after Guantánamo: Abdul Aziz Naji, Released from Guantánamo Last Week, Speaks to Algerian Media
32. Prisoners released from Guantánamo: Who Are the Guantánamo Prisoners Released in Cape Verde, Latvia and Spain?

August 2010

33. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Judge Orders Release from Guantánamo of Mentally Ill Yemeni; 2nd Judge Approves Detention of Minor Taliban Recruit (Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, Abdul Rahman Sulayman)
34. Ahmed Belbacha, Return to torture: Take Action for Ahmed Belbacha, at Risk of Enforced Repatriation from Guantánamo to Algeria
35. UK anti-terror laws: UK Judges Endorse Double Standards on Terror Deportations
36. Torture, European complicity in torture: New Evidence About Prisoners Held in Secret CIA Prisons in Poland and Romania
37. Torture, European complcitiy in torture: Will Poland’s Former Leaders Face War Crimes Charges for Hosting Secret CIA Prison?
38. Military Commissions, Sudanese prisoners in Guantánamo: Bin Laden Cook Expected to Serve Two More Years at Guantánamo – And Some Thoughts on the Remaining Sudanese Prisoners (Ibrahim al-Qosi)
39. Hunger strkes in Guantánamo: Ramadan Force-Feeding, and Renewed Secrecy Surrounding Hunger Strikers in Guantánamo
40. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: Lawlessness Haunts Omar Khadr’s Blighted War Crimes Trial at Guantánamo
41. Obituaries, UK anti-terror laws: In Memoriam: Faraj Hassan Alsaadi (1980-2010)
42. UK anti-terror laws: An interview with Faraj Hassan Alsaadi (from 2007)
43. Conditions in Guantánamo: Would Al-Qaeda Terrorists Really Be Reading Harry Potter at Guantánamo?
44. US Islamophobia: Disgraceful: The Ground Zero Mosque Controversy
45. Iraq: The Legacy of the Iraq War: Over 100,000 Dead, 20,000 Unidentified

September 2010

October 2010

83. Deaths at Guantánamo, Accountability: US Court Denies Justice to Dead Men at Guantánamo
84. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: First Guantánamo Habeas Appeal to US Supreme Court
85. The remaining priosners in Guantánamo: Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Six: Captured in Pakistan (2 of 3)
86. Life after Guantánamo: Guantánamo Uighur Brothers “Happy” in Switzerland, But Struggling to Adapt to New Life
87. Hunger strikes in Guantánamo: Secrecy Still Shrouds Guantánamo’s Five-Year Hunger Striker (Abdul Rahman Shalabi)
88. Torture, Accountability: Former Guantánamo Prisoner, Tortured by Al-Qaeda and the US, Launches Futile Attempt to Hold America Accountable (Abdul Rahim al-Janko/al-Ginco)
89. Torture: Liveblogging “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week: Day One
90. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Federal court trials: In the Case of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Torture Apologists Are Everywhere
91. Torture: Liveblogging “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week: Days Two and Three – Radio, Film and Puncturing John Yoo’s Lies
92. The remaining prisoners in Guantánamo: Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Seven: Captured in Pakistan (3 of 3)
93. Torture: Video: Andy Worthington and Justine Sharrock at “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week
94. Torture: “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week: Day Four – The Power of Art and the Power of the Pen (+ Video)
95. David Hicks: Former Guantánamo Prisoner David Hicks Describes His First Two Weeks at Camp X-Ray
96. Torture: Video: “The Giant John Yoo Debate” at “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week, October 12, 2010
97. Torture: “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week: Day Five – Humanizing Torture Victims and Fighting for the Soul of America (+ Videos)
98. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Great Malvern Gives Resounding Welcome to “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”
99. UK politics: Butchering the Poor, the Ill, the Weak, the Dispossessed and the Marginalized: Welcome to Cameron and Osborne’s Heartless Britain
100. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Judge Denies Guantánamo Prisoner’s Habeas Petition, Ignores Torture in Secret CIA Prisons (Tawfiq al-Bihani)
101. WikiLeaks, Iraq: Wikileaks’ 400,000 Classified Iraq War Documents Reveal 15,000 Previously Unreported Civilian Casualties, and Extensive Torture
102. Torture: How Paul Wolfowitz Authorized Human Experimentation at Guantánamo
103. Torture: “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week: Day Six – Education, Human Experimentation and a Grand Finale
104. WikiLeaks: Wikileaks’ Julian Assange Accepts Intelligence Experts’ Whistleblower Award “On Behalf of Our Sources”
105. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: No Justice for Omar Khadr at Guantánamo
106. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: The Betrayal of Omar Khadr – and of American Justice
107. Life after Guantánamo, Conditions in Guantánamo: Moazzam Begg Interviews Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Adel El-Gazzar in Slovakia
108. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Omar Khadr’s Depressing Plea Deal on Antiwar Radio
109. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: Omar Khadr’s Statement at Guantánamo, October 28, 2010
110. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: In Omar Khadr’s Sentencing Phase, US Government Introduces Islamophobic “Expert” and Irrelevant Testimony
111. UK politics: Critics Attack UK Government’s Cruel and Ill-Conceived Assault on Welfare
112. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: Torture Is Finally Mentioned on the Last Day of Omar Khadr’s Sentencing Hearing at Guantánamo
113. The future of the media: Great Turnout in Brighton for Discussion on the Future of the Media with Nick Davies and Andy Worthington

November 2010

114. Omar Khadr: “A Child’s Soul is Sacred”: Omar Khadr’s Touching Exchange of Letters with Canadian Professor
115. Guantánamo and Republicans: Is There No End to Republicans’ Abuse of Guantánamo Prisoners?
116. Omar Khadr, Military Commissions: Omar Khadr Jury Hammers the Final Nail into the Coffin of American Justice
117. UK anti-terror laws: UK Government Faces Major Rebellion on Control Orders
118. Barack Obama: US Mid-Term Elections: The Death of Hope and Change
119. Torture: Video: “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week – Forum on Torture with Marjorie Cohn, Andy Worthington, Shahid Buttar, Debra Sweet and Ray McGovern
120. UK anti-terror laws: Gareth Peirce Discusses Her New Book, “Dispatches from the Dark Side: On Torture and the Death of Justice”
121. Torture, George W. Bush: No Appetite for Prosecution: In Memoir, Bush Admits He Authorized the Use of Torture, But No One Cares
122. UK politics: Why I’ll Be Attending the Demonstration Against University Cuts on November 10
123. Guantánamo, Torture, Aafia Siddiqui: Video: Shafiq Rasul and Ruhal Ahmed Discuss US Detention at Kandahar, Bagram and Guantánamo with Andy Worthington at “Eid Without Aafia Siddiqui” Event
124. Guantánamo and habeas corpus: Court Orders Rethink on Tortured Guantánamo Prisoner’s Successful Habeas Petition (Mohamedou Ould Slahi)
125. Radio interviews: On Antiwar Radio, Andy Worthington Discusses Bush’s War Crimes and “Congressional Depravity” on Guantánamo
126. Torture, George W. Bush: On Bush’s Waterboarding Claims, UK Media Loses Its Moral Compass
127. UK anti-terror laws: Are Control Orders About To Be Scrapped?
128. UK politics: 50,000 Students Revolt: A Sign of Much Greater Anger to Come in Neo-Con Britain
129. UK politics: The Cruelty and Stupidity of the Government’s Welfare Reforms
130. UK politics: On Housing Benefit Cuts, British Public Reveals Shocking Lack of Empathy and Compassion
131. UK complicity in torture, Shaker Aamer: As the UK Government Announces Compensation for Ex-Guantánamo Prisoners, Is the Return of Shaker Aamer Part of the Deal?
132. Closing Guantánamo: On Guantánamo, Obama Hits Rock Bottom
133. The remaining prisoners in Guantánamo: Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Eight: Captured in Afghanistan (2002-07)
134. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: Amnesty Students Say “Bring Shaker Aamer Home from Guantánamo”
135. UK complicity in torture, Shaker Aamer: The UK Government’s Guantánamo Guilt, and the Urgent Need for Shaker Aamer’s Return
136. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Federal court trials: Morris Davis, Former Guantánamo Chief Prosecutor, Nails Critics of the Federal Court Trial of Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani
137. UK complicity in torture, Moazzam Begg, Shaker Aamer: Moazzam Begg Explains How Ex-Guantánamo Prisoners Offered to Forego Compensation for Return of Shaker Aamer
138. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: Send a Letter to Your MP Demanding the Release from Guantánamo of Shaker Aamer
139. UK complicity in torture, Moazzam Begg: Moazzam Begg in The Independent: The UK Government “Would Not Have Paid Up If They Thought They Could Win”
140. UK politics: Did You Miss This? 100 Percent Funding Cuts to Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Courses at UK Universities
141. “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”: Revolutionary Spirit in Bangor, at a Screening of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”
142. Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Federal court trials: The Rule of Law in the US Hangs on Obama’s Response to the Ghailani Trial
143. Radio interviews: Guantánamo: Andy Worthington’s In-Depth Interview with Christopher Renner of Community Bridge Radio
144. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: Send a Letter to William Hague Asking Him to Demand Shaker Aamer’s Return to the UK from Guantánamo
145. Guantánamo media: My Exchange About Guantánamo with Benjamin Wittes, Advocate of “Military Detention without Trial”
146. UK politics: Cameron’s Britain: “Kettling” Children for Protesting Against Savage Cuts to University Funding
147. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Obama’s Failure to Close Guantánamo with Brad Friedman on the Mike Malloy Show

December 2010

148. WikiLeaks, Guantánamo: The Irrelevance of Wikileaks’ Guantánamo Revelations
149. Guantánamo campaigns: Please Sign Petition Asking Eric Holder to Release Fayiz Al-Kandari, a Kuwaiti Aid Worker in Guantánamo
150. WikiLeaks, Guantánamo, Moazzam Begg: Guantánamo and the Wikileaks Documents, Including Yemeni and Uighur “Problems,” and Praise for Moazzam Begg
151. Torture: All Guantánamo Prisoners Were Subjected to “Pharmacological Waterboarding”
152. UK anti-terror laws: Lord Carlile, Discredited Advocate of Control Orders, Presents Flawed Alternative
153. WikiLeaks, Aafia Siddiqui: Wikileaks: Numerous Reasons to Dismiss US Claims that “Ghost Prisoner” Aafia Siddiqui Was Not Held in Bagram
154. Aafia Siddiqui: Video: Andy Worthington Speaks at “Bring Aafia Siddiqui Home,” November 14, 2010
155. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington, Asim Qureshi and Jason Leopold Discuss Guantánamo, Human Experimentation and the Global Reach of the “War on Terror” with Peter B. Collins
156. UK politics: Biggest Student Protest on Thursday, as Parliament Votes on Tuition Fees
157. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: “A Day for Shaker Aamer” on Saturday — and Postcards to Send to William Hague and to Shaker in Guantánamo
158. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: Urge Your MP to Sign Caroline Lucas’ Early Day Motion Calling for the Return of Shaker Aamer and the Closure of Guantánamo
159. WikiLeaks, Torture: WikiLeaks’ Revelations that Bush and Obama Put Pressure on Germany and Spain Not to Investigate US Torture
160. Radio interviews: Andy Worthington Discusses Guantánamo and WikiLeaks on Antiwar Radio
161. Targeted kilings, Accountability: Anwar Al-Awlaqi: Judge Rules that President’s Decision to Assassinate US Citizens Abroad, Without Due Process or Explanation, is “Judicially Unreviewable”
162. UK politics: Government Wins University Tuition Fees Vote, But So What? Remember the Poll Tax!
163. UK politics: Heroes and Villains in the Tuition Fees Vote
164. Campaigns: On Human Rights Day, Public Figures Call for Worldwide Ban on Solitary Confinement and Prisoner Isolation
165. Shaker Aamer: On Human Rights Day, A Call to Release Shaker Aamer from Guantánamo
166. Aafia Siddiqui: Cageprisoners Discusses the Repatriation of Aafia Siddiqui with Pakistan’s Interior Minister
167. Torture, Book reviews: Torture and Abuse on the USS Bataan and in Bagram and Kandahar: An Excerpt from “My Life with the Taliban” by Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef
168. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: Report on “A Day for Shaker Aamer” and Screenings of “Outside the Law” — and a Message of Support from Ken Livingstone
169. Closing Guantánamo, Guantanamo and Congress: Guantánamo: A Dismal Week for America
170. WikiLeaks, Julian Assange: Ten Thoughts About Julian Assange and WikiLeaks
171. UK politics: Video: 15-Year Old Tells UK Government Why It Has Radicalised A Generation
172. Music: Summoning Up the Spirit of Ronnie Lane: The Triumphant Return of Slim Chance
173. Guantánamo campaigns, Shaker Aamer: Tell the UK and US Governments We Need A Deadline for the Return of Shaker Aamer from Guantánamo
174. Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks: Is Bradley Manning Being Held as Some Sort of “Enemy Combatant”?
175. Ahmed Belbacha, UK complcity in torture: Lawyers for Ahmed Belbacha, Guantánamo Prisoner and Former UK Resident, Sue UK Government Over Refusal to Disclose Evidence of His Abuse
176. Guantánamo and Congress, Closing Guantánamo: Guantánamo Prisoners Sacrificed in Political Horse-Trading
177. Torture: More Evidence of Medical Experimentation at Guantánamo
178. Torture: Video: “Berkeley Says No to Torture” Week — Jason Leopold and Jeff Kaye Discuss Human Experimentation at Guantánamo
179. Closing Guantánamo, Barack Obama: President Obama Loses the Plot on Guantánamo
180. Closing Guantánamo, Yemenis in Guantanamo: Christmas at Guantánamo
181. Guantánamo and Congress, Barack Obama, Closing Guantánamo: With Indefinite Detention and Transfer Bans, Obama and the Senate Plumb New Depths on Guantánamo
182. Torture: Hounding a Torture Judge: A Report by Susan Harman on the Campaign to Impeach Jay S. Bybee

Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed (and I can also be found on Facebook and Twitter). Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in July 2010, details about the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, currently on tour in the UK, and available on DVD here), my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.