18.2.11
Saber Lahmer (aka Sabir Lahmar) is one of the six Algerians held at Guantánamo from its earliest days, having been kidnapped by US agents in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in connection with an alleged plot to blow up the US embassy in Sarajevo, even though the plot has never been backed up by any evidence, and was never even mentioned in Guantánamo. In November 2008, five of the six men (including Lahmer) won their habeas corpus petitions, and were released — three to Bosnia-Herzegovina in December 2008, Lakhdar Boumediene to France in May 2009 (also see here and here), and Saber Lahmar to France in December 2009. The sixth man, Belkacem Bensayah, successfully appealed the denial of his habeas petition, meaning that a District Court judge must examine his case again, although this has not yet happened.
Last month, Moazzam Begg, former Guantánamo prisoner, and now the director of Cageprisoners, met up with Saber Lahmer at a conference in Paris to mark the ninth anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo, and also found time to interview him for Cageprisoners. That interview, which is fascinating for a number of reasons — not least Lahmer’s reflections on the innocence of the men in Guantánamo, and his abandonment since his release by the French authorities, who have not allowed him to travel or reunited him with his family — is cross-posted below.
Moazzam Begg: Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?
Saber Lahmer: In the name of Allah Most Compassionate Most Merciful. I send my prayers and peace on the noble Prophet and to proceed … My name is Saber Mahfooz Al-Ahmer (Lahmer), I am an Algerian national, a graduate of the Islamic University of Madinah and am now a resident in the city of Bordeaux, France where I was transferred to from Guantánamo about a year ago. I was born in 1970.
Moazzam Begg: Before talking about how you ended up in Guantánamo please explain how you were arrested in Bosnia, where you had been a resident prior to your abduction.
Saber Lahmer: About a month after the 9/11 attacks I was raided by the Bosnian police and falsely accused of intending to blow up the US embassy in Bosnia. I was imprisoned in Sarajevo on remand for three months after which I was taken to court. The Bosnian judge in the case ruled that I be freed and there was no case to answer for and that the allegations were baseless. So I was freed and left the prison heading for home. On the way back home, in the middle of the street, I was abducted by US and Bosnian police and rendered straight from there to Guantánamo where I remained for eight years and eight months.
Moazzam Begg: And there were five other men with you who suffered the exact same fate?
Saber Lahmer: That’s right, there were five others and all of us have been released – except for one who is still in Guantánamo. I pray Allah frees all of them.
Moazzam Begg: Before we go on to what happened in Guantánamo, can you tell me how you, as an Algerian, ended up in Bosnia?
Saber Lahmer: After I graduated from university in 1996 I was offered work by the Saudi High Commission to go to Bosnia and help the humanitarian effort there as part of my contract which of course was a very important and crucial time for the Bosnians just after the war.
Moazzam Begg: So you saw something of the horrors that were experienced by the people of Bosnia?
Saber Lahmer: Yes, I saw the aftermath of the massacre, rape and pillage of an entire nation — I saw what the cowards had done.
Moazzam Begg: What was going through your mind when they sent you to Guantánamo?
Saber Lahmer: In reality, even when I was still in prison in Sarajevo and I asked those interrogators, “Why am I here, held by you?” they would reply, “We honestly don’t know,” and therefore it indicated that this was just a procedural exercise — nothing more. Afterwards, when I was sent to Guantánamo the interrogators over there had no idea what to question me about; they would say that the file that accompanied me from Bosnia contained no palpable allegations against me. Hence, they would say to me that if I had any information about other people then I should give it to them, but as for any accusations against me, there simply are none. Subsequently, when I was presented to the court [in the habeas corpus petition of the six men, in November 2008] the judge was not able to level any charges against me and that was because all the “evidence” presented about me in my file by the FBI and CIA was laughable. He [the judge] ordered my release.
Moazzam Begg: You are of course married with children, a family man. You were married in Bosnia and have children that you’ve not seen since your abduction. How did you manage to maintain contact with them during your time in custody?
Saber Lahmer: During all the years of my incarceration in Guantánamo I was unable to speak to my wife or children even once. I have two children — a boy and a girl. The boy was about a year and a half when I was taken and the girl I have not even met as she was born after I was taken.
Moazzam Begg: Guantánamo is probably the world’s most notorious prison — at present — but had you heard anything of this place before you became one of its occupants?
Saber Lahmer: I had no knowledge of this place — not even the word, what it meant or even where it was on the map. I was only aware that there was a country by the name of Cuba. I was only made aware of the Guantánamo prison by the police in Sarajevo a few moments before I was actually put on the plane.
Moazzam Begg: You were kidnapped illegally by US — and Bosnian — authorities. What was the reaction of the Bosnian people in relation to what happened to you all, who were legal residents of Bosnia?
Saber Lahmer: A few days before I was imprisoned at Guantánamo the Bosnian public became well aware that there was some kind of latent plan to hand over the six Bosnian Arabs to the Americans, a plan that was agreed between the governments of Bosnia and the USA. Subsequently, over 5,000 people held demonstrations lasting several days outside the prison where we were held, protesting on our behalf. Their purpose was to stop the oppression against all of us who were facing this impending situation. However, since the US can pretty much do whatever it likes with impunity — under the colour of a “legal” veneer — this arrest, rather kidnap, was carried out and the business transaction [of our lives] went ahead unabated.
Moazzam Begg: I have seen pictures of how you were all abducted in Sarajevo. Please tell me about the way in which this happened.
Saber Lahmer: They took us in a brutal, inhuman and barbaric way; they used extreme force, violence and terror. They beat us severely, crushed us and tried to dehumanise us. Let me explain a little: I was taken to a US military base just outside Sarajevo where I was shackled to the floor for three whole days. The temperature at that time was minus 10 [degrees centigrade]. After this we were taken on board a US aircraft and flown to another military airbase — I don’t know if this was in Turkey or Germany — and then on to Guantánamo.
Moazzam Begg: During this time, en route, what were the Americans saying to you?
Saber Lahmer: The statement that I kept hearing repeatedly — via the translators — was, “You are on your way to the American hell from which you will never escape.”
Moazzam Begg: Was it just you — the Bosnians — taken together or were there others who came to Guantánamo with you?
Saber Lahmer: When we stopped over in either Turkey or Germany and boarded another plane there were around forty or so prisoners on board who had been brought over from the Bagram prison. We knew this as we heard different voices speaking in Pashtu, Urdu and some speaking in Arabic. Therefore we realised this was a transit port where prisoners were brought from various places before being shipped off to Guantánamo.
Moazzam Begg: And how were you seated on the aeroplane?
Saber Lahmer: Of course we were seated in a very painful, savage way. Our hands and legs were tied very tightly with metal shackles; our eyes were covered with blacked-out goggles; our mouths were sealed with cloth; our ears were covered with large headphones; and, if we moved, even slightly, we’d get punched in the face or body.
Moazzam Begg: Were you able to communicate, to speak with any of the other prisoners?
Saber Lahmer: As I said, we’d receive a barrage of punches and strikes from the guards if we so much as moved. Even those who were clearly in a state of terrible discomfort or were just sick received no mercy. Instead, if any one dared complain or ask for medical assistance they would get beaten.
Moazzam Begg: This was in January 2002 — nine years ago. You were amongst the second group of prisoners sent to Guantánamo and were held at what, at that time, was Camp X-Ray. What did you see when you got there?
Saber Lahmer: When I go there I witnessed [prisoners] people of imaan [faith]. People who refused to bow down before anyone except Allah. When I saw them I recalled the words of Allah Mighty and Sublime: “Indeed this is the group that believed in their Lord and We [Allah] increased their guidance.” We saw nothing but good of them and we learned a great deal from them even before they learned from us.
Moazzam Begg: What did the Americans say to you when you arrived at Guantánamo?
Saber Lahmer: The first words I heard from them was, “Welcome to the American hell.” After that I was taken immediately to interrogation where they only really sought one thing: If I had any information about anything that I could tell them. I told them that this is not my problem. My problem is that you accuse me of trying to blow up the US embassy in Bosnia and yet no one is asking me any questions about that now. They would always avoid this question — and I would remind them. In the end, when I decided that I would not speak to them about any subject except regarding the embassy allegation they began to punish me. Consequently, most of my time in Guantánamo was spent in isolation and solitary confinement.
Moazzam Begg: What were the allegations against the other Bosnian Arabs who came with you?
Saber Lahmer: Exactly the same as me: that we, as a group of six men, were involved in a conspiracy to blow up the US embassy. What I find amazing about this “conspiracy” allegation is that the Americans accepted that we did not even know one another [before the arrests]. This was the contradiction: they would say we know that so-and-so does not know so-and so, and yet they would still claim that we somehow conspired together.
Moazzam Begg: How were you able to communicate with your family about what had happened to you all this time?
Saber Lahmer: There was no way to communicate with them at all. Hence, I heard nothing from my family for several years. The first letter I received from my family was via my lawyer who first saw me in 2004.
Moazzam Begg: Just so people understand, why would you have a lawyer when there are no charges against you, no court proceeding and legal process that you have access to?
Saber Lahmer: Firstly, according to their procedures a person has the right to legal representation if he is imprisoned — whether he is charged or not.
Moazzam Begg: But this happened only after you’d been imprisoned for almost three years that they allowed an opportunity for lawyers to come to Guantánamo.
Saber Lahmer: Yes, and they did not want this to happen — they did not want to allow us any way to legally challenge our incarceration. However, it was due to the outside pressure placed on the US administration after stories of abuse and torture had become synonymous with Guantánamo and the fact that they were acting in contravention of every law relating to the treatment of prisoners. Even with the presence of lawyers it was just to give Guantánamo a veneer of having some kind of legal system when in fact there still is none. You won’t find any place in the world that imprisons people without giving them at least some legal rights.
Moazzam Begg: You spent over eight years imprisoned in Guantánamo. This is an incredibly long time, almost impossible for most people to contemplate. What was the hardest part of your ordeal and how did you deal with it?
Saber Lahmer: I wouldn’t say that there were some days in Guantánamo that were hard, they were all hard. And what we witnessed there were events that no one would encounter in any ordinary prison. However, we passed these days with strength and patience from Allah even though we could never have imagined that we could have spent all this time facing the various types of torture and abuse which have been refined to a modern day art by scholars and psychiatrists. These types of torture are not “radical” or traditional as such but they have been perfected after many years of experiment and study to a fine art and focus on the psychological as much as or even more than the physical.
Moazzam Begg: What do you think is the biggest lesson the US administration learned from the Guantánamo experiment?
Saber Lahmer: That [our] imaan will never be extinguished.
Moazzam Begg: What were the Americans intending to gain out of all this?
Saber Lahmer: It is as the words of Allah [in the Quran] when he says: “They wish to extinguish the light of Allah through their words but Allah repels them and protects and completes His light …” The issue has nothing to do with terrorism. Those imprisoned in Guantánamo are not terrorists and the greatest evidence of this is that they are still avoiding legal proceedings at every level. And you can now see that Obama is trying to play the same dirty game as his predecessor by avoiding any legal process. Instead, they are approaching prisoners and asking them to sign a piece of paper admitting they are reformed terrorists and that they will be freed once they do so and will also not face charges. The reason for this is clear: there are no charges or evidence against these people [the prisoners]. If they were taken to court both Obama and his predecessor would be exposed because these men have been held for so long and after all that, no charges. This would be a cause of great shame to the US leader. Thus, they prefer people leave Guantánamo without trial.
Moazzam Begg: There are prisoners who have memorised the Quran, memorised texts of ahadeeth [Prophetic sayings] by word of mouth, learned languages from other prisoners and made fitness routines for themselves. How did you spend your time, how did you benefit, as it were, from your imprisonment?
Saber Lahmer: Books to educate oneself were prohibited in Guantánamo and that was because they wanted people to leave that place ignorant and unable to understand anything around them after all this time in prison. They know of course that in many prisons people can study many subjects and attain great benefit from their time in prison so that their time in prison isn’t completely wasted. However, out of malice they deliberately made sure we had nothing to study and, based on the concepts developed through psychological experimentation, they ensured we did not have the tools to benefit from improving ourselves through gaining knowledge. They only permitted the distribution of the Noble Quran — not for our benefit but for their own, so they could say that they are affording us religious freedoms. This is also evidenced from the fact, especially in the latter days, that almost every prisoner has memorised the entire Quran — al hamdu lillah [Allah be praised].
Moazzam Begg: In addition to this, some prisoners who had knowledge of different subjects were teaching the others?
Saber Lahmer: Yes, certainly. Your brother here took on the task of teaching others all that he was able to from what he had studied during his life as a free man and similarly anyone who had anything to teach would do so in order for others to benefit and gain reward in the Hereafter. So for example, someone who had learned grammar and comprehension would teach those who had little grasp of that subject, likewise those who had memorised classical texts would teach the others and so on. Thus, although the Americans did not wish us to benefit from anything we managed to benefit a great deal from one another.
Moazzam Begg: As you said, you spent many years in solitary confinement. How did you manage to learn anything during that time?
Saber Lahmer: I spent years in isolation: one and a half years in Camp Six, a similar time I spent in Camp Echo and some time in other places and in such places prisoners were prevented from anything. The only thing that one could do during that time was to live with the book of Allah, Mighty and Sublime and no other, which was our friend and companion — and what a beautiful friend and companion. During all this time I did not see the sun — or anything outside. In fact, by the time this period had ended I had forgotten the colour of the sky and what it looks like.
Moazzam Begg: There are a few prisoners who have lost their minds in Guantanamo. What do you know about this and how can this happen?
Saber Lahmer: Yes, I have myself seen some people who have in reality lost their minds. They include a Palestinian, some Afghans and some Turkistanis [Uyghurs] who had completely lost their minds. Hence, the US administration does not wish to release them, fearing the response the world will have to their already battered world image. There is of course no doubt that this has happened directly as a result of the torture and abuse suffered by these men and the psychological pressures placed upon them over a period of nine years — especially during interrogations. Day after day, month after month and year after year, this has caused the men to lose a grip on reality and led to the descent into insanity. Sadly, this has happened to several prisoners.
Moazzam Begg: Despite this most of the prisoners have left Guantánamo with a heightened sense of their faith and strength of character. How did you manage to keep and, indeed, develop your faith during this time?
Saber Lahmer: Guantánamo is a place of isolation far removed from all normal civilisation. Thus, a person of faith will see this as an opportunity to be in seclusion with Allah. I’ve heard so many of the prisoners say that they had always wanted to have some time to spend alone, to reflect on their lives and spend in contemplation and personal meditation, but that the world had always got the better of them. And so we can use this as an opportunity to review the pages of our lives, to correct that which is wrong within us and reflect on our hopes for the future. And essentially, to strengthen our relationship with our Creator since we are prevented from any other thing in this place. And, as it is said, it may be that something seemingly harmful is in fact more worthy than you think.
Moazzam Begg: Were any of the guards or interrogators humane or sympathetic towards you?
Saber Lahmer: As for the interrogators I did not see any good at all from them. Rather, I saw the opposite from them, wanting to destroy any hope we had of freedom or a future. Suffice to say that they said things like, “If we were allowed to, we would have killed you a long time ago. You don’t deserve any mercy. It’s only the law that’s preventing us.” As for the guards, they told us that they would get special training two months before they came to Guantánamo and get indoctrinated against us, being told that we are savages, that we are very dangerous, that they need to be very wary of us at all times, and that we do not deserve to be treated with mercy. Of course, many of them changed their minds by the time they left Guantánamo.
Moazzam Begg: Some of the soldiers embraced Islam and others were sympathetic. What did you experience of this?
Saber Lahmer: Yes, this is true with those who realised the truth, and I would ask all those who became Muslims about the reason for this, and they would say that it was due to many reasons. They were moved by the brotherhood they witnessed between the prisoners. They were amazed at our bowing and prostrating to Allah and how that in an integral part of our lives, which we will not give up for anyone. They saw that as the reason behind our incomprehensible (to them) patience. They also commented that when they looked at our faces they would see happiness and tranquility which they found remarkable under the circumstances. Also, they said, the authorities described us in one way but that their experience of us — almost living with us on the other side of the wire — was the total opposite. They also recognised our treatment as oppression and injustice, and saw the hypocrisy of telling the outside world that we were being treated fairly, with respect and dignity. The soldiers [the unbiased ones] saw through all of this. All of these things created in them a desire to ask us more about Islam and eventually enter into its fold — al hamdu lillah.
Moazzam Begg: I just wanted to tell you that there is a sister who embraced Islam recently who was formerly a guard at Guantánamo and she told me that the seed of Islam was planted in her heart during her time there and that she wanted all the prisoners to know this.
Saber Lahmer: Yes — that’s true. There were male and female soldiers who embraced Islam secretly. They did this because they understood the negative repercussions they would face, sadly, because of the open hostility towards Muslims.
Moazzam Begg: What was your relationship with the other prisoners like and how did living with them for so long affect you as a person?
Saber Lahmer: Before I arrived at Guantánamo I heard about them through the media that they were allegedly the worst of all of God’s creatures. But from the time that I met them and began my life of exile with them I recalled the words of Allah Mighty and Sublime: “Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; and those with him are forceful against the disbelievers, merciful among themselves. You see them bowing and prostrating [in prayer], seeking bounty from Allah and [His] pleasure. Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration.” These were people of good, of obedience [to Allah] and patience. Their prior concern in life was earning the pleasure of Allah. All of this had a great effect on my life and I began to emulate them in all that is good and, as the poet said, “I love the righteous even if I am not of them.” I tried all I could to be like them, though I could not attain their level.
Moazzam Begg: At its height there were around 780 prisoners in Guantánamo, but over 600 have been released. You were there for 8 years and witnessed many prisoners leave while you remained behind. What went through your mind when this happened?
Saber Lahmer: I never saw anyone leave from Guantánamo who didn’t cry in the hope that they would be the last to leave that place — wishing only that their brothers would leave before them. It occurred many times that when a person was told he was due to be released, the prisoner would ask to speak to the authorities so that he could inform them that he does not want to be released and instead wants someone else to leave in his stead. Of course, this is from an internal and brotherly point of view, and it does not mean that anyone would like to stay in a place that is filled with oppression and abuse.
Moazzam Begg: It is clear that the US administration seemed bent on breaking the resolve and resistance of the prisoners, but it seems as if the opposite was achieved. The weak became strong and the strong an example for others. What brought this about?
Saber Lahmer: In truth the Americans didn’t understand some of the basic concepts of human nature. They wanted to destroy us — and destroy our faith in the religion of Islam. It was not the case of wanting to prevent terrorism. If it was we would have applauded them. But they wanted to extinguish the light of Allah — and the one who wishes to do this must be exposed because he is at war with the Lord of the Worlds. Relevant to this is the story of Abdul Muttalib when his camels were taken by the King of Abyssinia [Abraha] who had come to destroy the Ka’bah. The king said to him, “I thought you had come to ask me about my intention to destroy the Ka’bah but you ask me for your camels instead?” Abdul Muttalib replied, “I am asking for my property because the Ka’bah has a Lord who will maintain its own protection.” In the end, as we know, Allah destroyed this army of elephants as is recorded in the Quran. This is the final result for whoever wishes to obstruct the way of Allah.
Moazzam Begg: What did you see or experience in relation to religious abuse during your time in custody?
Saber Lahmer: As I said, they used every tool available to dent our faith and tried very hard to make us leave our religion and practice of it. In fact, some interrogators would say that it was their mission to ensure that the prisoners left this place having completely forgotten their religion, but Allah wished to foil their plot. In addition, I saw the soldiers kick the Quran with their booted feet; I saw with my own eyes in Camp X-Ray soldiers throwing the Quran into a toilet bucket; I encountered interrogators who would curse and swear at Allah and his messenger in the belief that this would enrage me and that somehow I would start talking to them and co-operating with them as a result. They would make fun of our faith in order to needle us, knowing that it was something very dear to our hearts.
Moazzam Begg: This sort of thing led to more resistance and non-cooperation which included the hunger strikes. What was the result of this? Did you take part in the strikes?
Saber Lahmer: Yes, we took part in the hunger strikes when abuses against our faith occurred — like the desecration of the Quran. The hunger strikes were very long and it was an extremely harsh time, but the result was that the US administration put out a general order that no soldier is permitted to touch the Quran. Of course, this wasn’t out of respect for our book or our faith but for their own purposes completely — so that they didn’t have to deal with our response.
Moazzam Begg: How did the authorities try to break the hunger strikes?
Saber Lahmer: They tried to force-feed us with liquid food by forcing tubes through our nostrils — and sometimes our mouths — and pushing them into our stomachs while we were tied down to a chair with our arms, legs and heads placed in restraints. And, if only they wanted to feed us using this process that’s one thing, but the way in which they forcibly inserted and removed these tubes was so painful that it is clear they just wanted to break our will to hunger strike rather than the strike itself.
Moazzam Begg: Did they succeed in breaking the strikes in this way?
Saber Lahmer: They did not succeed and they will never succeed because stamping authority by force never wins.
Moazzam Begg: When was the first time you heard that you might be released from Guantánamo and who told you?
Saber Lahmer: After I was declared innocent by the US I was moved to Camp Iguana where I spent several months with the Uyghurs until the time for my release finally came. So although I had been cleared for release for a very long time, I was not released even then until almost a year later.
Moazzam Begg: How did your transfer from Guantánamo and release to France finally come about?
Saber Lahmer: This was through the French ambassador in Washington — I met one of the French embassy officials who offered to accept and take me to France. I asked them what they were prepared to do for me in France and they told me, oddly, that there is no need to discuss too much of that and that the moment I step foot in France I would be afforded all the rights and avenues to advance my life and live as a normal human being. But, since my return I have, sadly, spent most of my time in a tiny room — one that resembles a Guantánamo cell in many ways.
Moazzam Begg: The first thing each person released thinks of is their family. Were you able to make contact with them?
Saber Lahmer: I went to and left from Guantánamo an innocent man — no charges, no accusations even. I was told before I came to France that I’d have all my rights — which would include the ability to go to visit my family in Bosnia, but until now I have been prevented from doing so as I have no travel documents. Hence, I have not seen my children in all this time and no one is even prepared to discuss this issue with me.
Moazzam Begg: How was your first conversation with your children after your release; did they see you as a stranger or even know who you are?
Saber Lahmer: When I called them for the first time they did not really want to speak to me because they could not recognise me as a father — I’m a complete stranger to them. How can a child speak to a stranger with such an obstacle placed in front of it? I sense this when I speak to them all the time.
Moazzam Begg: This has been the experience of many Guantánamo returnees: fathers who don’t know their own children, children who cannot recognise their fathers. Who bears the responsibility for all this?
Saber Lahmer: We cannot just blame America for this, especially for those who are now free. The countries that have taken in Guantánamo prisoners but have made absolutely no provision for the basic human right of a family being together, reunited after such an ordeal, demonstrates still how we are regarded as less than human.
Moazzam Begg: There was some mention of your case recently in WikiLeaks. Can you tell us about this?
Saber Lahmer: Two things emerged from the WikiLeaks for me. Firstly, that I was brought over to France for the promise of a financial incentive and package and, secondly, became a sort of a bargaining chip for the purposes of improving Franco-American relations, which, as everyone knows, are quite often sour. This is what has become apparent.
Moazzam Begg: How do you feel about this?
Saber Lahmer: Since my resettlement here no one from the government has spoken to me at all — not once, despite writing to them, or contacting them through lawyers — nothing. At present I just feel like I’ve been moved from the big Guantánamo to the lesser one, simply because I have been abandoned by the very people who promised to me give me my basic rights.
Moazzam Begg: Finally, what advice do you have for our readers and people who are interested the cases of the Guantánamo prisoners?
Saber Lahmer: I would ask all those who read this to do all they can to assist Cageprisoners and other organisations in their efforts to have the prisoners of Guantánamo released and receive justice. Also, they should not forget those who have been released from there, because those who have been freed in reality still live in Guantánamo. And when I ask people to help both groups of people I mean that there must be real, tangible efforts made to assist the downtrodden and forgotten prisoners of Guantánamo. Steps taken must be straight and consistent and as the saying goes, if you speak then listen and if you hit then you [must] feel pain [too].
Moazzam Begg: May Allah reward you with the best for sharing your thoughts.
Saber Lahmer: May Allah reward you and all the brothers and sisters at Cageprisoners for your efforts to assist the prisoners.
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.
Investigative journalist, author, campaigner, commentator and public speaker. Recognized as an authority on Guantánamo and the “war on terror.” Co-founder, Close Guantánamo and We Stand With Shaker. Also, photo-journalist (The State of London), and singer and songwriter (The Four Fathers).
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13 Responses
Andy Worthington says...
On Facebook, Tashi Farmilo-Marouf wrote:
Yes, very fascinating! Even reading about the torture that this poor man endured is difficult. I can’t imagine living through such a thing. But I love that he was so patient, his faith never wavered, and that this inner strength and peace even inspired guards to convert to Islam. Amazing. We could learn a lot from this. How many of us in our ‘normal’ lives are whining and complaining about little things, while we have so much to be grateful for.
...on February 19th, 2011 at 2:41 am
Andy Worthington says...
Willy Bach wrote:
Andy, thanks, very informative. Lawless doesn’t begin to describe this behaviour by the CIA.
...on February 19th, 2011 at 2:42 am
Andy Worthington says...
Jacob Freeze wrote:
Dugg!
...on February 19th, 2011 at 2:43 am
Andy Worthington says...
Susan Hall wrote:
I’ll try to get back to it tonight. I’m going to introduce your movie, Outside the Law.
...on February 19th, 2011 at 2:43 am
Andy Worthington says...
Thanks, everyone. Great comments, Tashi, and Susan, I hope your screening went well. I was in Durham, showing the film (“Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo”) to the Amnesty student society, and we had a great turnout of about 70 people!
...on February 19th, 2011 at 2:48 am
wilson lawson says...
I’d like to know what he did in Bosnia. I’d like to know if he ever killed civilians in Bosnia. It is well known that in and around Srebrenica 50 villages and towns were attacked by muslim forces leaving beheaded farmers, disembowelled farmers wives and gang raped and mutilated farmers daughters. Their sons were routinely burned alive, beheaded, genitally mutilated, had hearts torn from their bodies and their eyes gouged out.
I’d like to know what part these ”poor muslim victims” played in that carnage?
I have no doubt some Guantanamo prisoners are innocents caught up in a war in which they had no part. And I have no doubt some are guilty of the most barbaric murders of civilians and prisoners. I do know that many of those released from Gitmo have returned to terrorist activities.
...on July 18th, 2011 at 10:49 am
Andy Worthington says...
Hi Wilson. I accept your concerns about the activities of some Muslim fighters in Bosnia as valid, but no one ever accused Mr. Lahmer of wartime atrocities, so I wouldn’t wish to presume that he was. Also, the recidivism claims that are regularly touted by the Pentagon are, from any objective point of view, not backed up by evidence and therefore almost certainly a distortion of information. For further information, please read my articles on this topic, and check out the latest report by the New America Foundation:
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2009/06/06/new-york-times-finally-apologizes-for-false-guantanamo-recidivism-story/
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/01/08/guantanamo-recidivism-mainstream-media-parrot-pentagon-propaganda-again/
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/12/14/guantanamo-a-dismal-week-for-america/
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2011/01/18/countering-pentagon-propaganda-about-prisoners-released-from-guantanamo/
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/11/how_many_gitmo_alumni_take_up_arms
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/files/fp_uploaded_documents/110112_RecidivismAppendix2.pdf
...on July 18th, 2011 at 11:18 am
arcticredriver says...
An update: Daily Caller, a conservative US site, is reporting that Lahmer, who they describe as a “Gitmo Alum” was rounded up as part of a raid on suspected ISIS members and sympathizers.
http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/31/gitmo-alum-detained-in-raid-against-french-isis-cell/
I am extremely skeptical any of the Algerian Six supported extremists. My recollection was that the reason they wanted to become Bosnian citizens, in the first place, was that they were moderate muslims, too moderate to live comfortably in Algeria.
...on May 31st, 2017 at 1:28 pm
arcticredriver says...
Wilson Lawson’s comment, above, that starts with, “I’d like to know what he did in Bosnia…” is illustrative of the dangers of throwing out the 800 years of progress in protecting suspect’s rights, since King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta.
Torture apologists, and those who they have whipped into a state of hysterical over-reaction, routinely assert that security officials can no longer grant suspects traditional rights, like the presumption of innocence, when engaged in “the war on terror”.
What I think the cases of those the USA held because their names were found on the list of Bosnian mujahideen illustrates is that ignoring the rule of law, throwing the presumption of innocence into the garbage, and failing to make a meaningful effort to refute or confirm the allegations leveled against suspects makes us all less safe.
In addition to the Algerian Six there were another dozen or so captives held in Guantanamo, in part, because their names were on the list of Bosnian mujahideen. However, from the information available to the public, wasn’t Tariq al-Sawah the only one who actually volunteered to fight for Bosnian independence?
My recollection is that the remaining captives all got Bosnian citizenship, or applied for Bosnian citizenship, after the war, and claimed they did not fight in the war. Sometimes their passports directly supported their claims they were still in the home country, when the war was being fought. My recollection is that all but one of them had no idea why their names were on the list.
I know I have mentioned this on other pages, but I think it is a highly illustrative point, that bears repeating. It highlights a basic breakdown of investigation, part of the general incompetence which we in the west have allowed our security agencies to get away with. One guy did know why he was on the list. He employed a Bosnian to be his immigration consultant. He paid this guy a fee to manage the complicated task of filling out the forms correctly, and managing his citizenship application.
What his immigration consultant hadn’t told him was that Bosnia waived the citizenship application fee for anyone who claimed they were a former volunteer who had fought for Bosnian independence. He found his dishonest consultant had fraudulently applied for this waiver, on his behalf, so he could quietly keep the immigration fee our guy had provided him, and put it in his own bank account. Since the Bosnian militia who fought for independence were often ad hoc outfits, who had not focussed on paperwork, and since it was well known volunteers from many Arab countries had to fight under nomme de guerres, to escape scrutiny from the repressive security agencies back home, Bosnia had, for a while, accepted a simple notarized assertion as proof an applicant with an Arabic name had been a volunteer.
If our overly paranoid US security agencies had employed a lick of sense they would have used regular detective skills to refute or confirm whether those captives had actually been volunteers fighting for Bosnian independence.
I’d like reader Wilson Lawson to understand how dangerous it is, for the rest of us, for you and I and Mr Lawson himself, to allow security agencies to trample on the traditional protections of the rule of law. If those protections had been in place the USA would have saved at least one hundred million dollars, because they would not have continued to hold over a dozen liberal, moderate muslims, whose only crime was to unknowingly employ corrupt immigration consultants, who thought they could get away with double-dipping, by forging claims they were veterans.
One hundred million? If we add in the costs of the hare-brained counter-terrorism initiatives triggered by taking their tortured confessions at face value; if we add in the costs of pointlessly fighting innocent men’s habeas appeals; and if we add in the costs of those recruited to the wrong side, out of sympathy for the wrongfully accused, the true cost is probably several times more that one hundred million.
...on May 31st, 2017 at 2:39 pm
Andy Worthington says...
Hi arcticredriver,
I think we shall have to wait and see with this story. As we know, being arrested by the police is no indicator of guilt. Often, they make mistakes and/or seem to be on fishing expeditions.
...on June 1st, 2017 at 1:51 am
Andy Worthington says...
And thanks, arcticredriver, for that detailed analysis of the problem with a counter-terrorism initiative that is reckless with the truth, and with established nations of investigating any kind of culpability. Your assertions with regard to allegations regarding Bosnia are as empty as those we have both examined over the years in connection with numerous claims made by the US authorities. Even now, it seems almost incredible that the authorities at Guantanamo regarded all manner of organisations as allied to, or fronts for terrorism, when no other US body did so – claims that involved missionary organisations, and humanitarian aid charities.
This was addressed in the Seton Hall Law School’s first groundbreaking report in 2006, based on an analysis of the publicly available documents from the CSRTs: http://law.shu.edu/publications/guantanamoReports/guantanamo_report_final_2_08_06.pdf
From page 18:
...on June 1st, 2017 at 2:03 am
arcticredriver says...
France was pretty dogged about convicting the French nationals who were held in Guantanamo… if I recall correctly, they had those convictions over-turned, on appeal.
It’s a factor suggesting observers shouldn’t jump the gun, and presume this arrest indicates actual guilt.
...on June 1st, 2017 at 3:09 am
Andy Worthington says...
Yes, that’s a good point, arcticredriver – and there is, of course, the state of emergency in France that was declared after the terrorist attacks in November 2015, and that has just been extended. As Ramzi Kassem noted in an op-ed for the New York Times last August, that has created a situation that is far from acceptable. He stated, “Since November, police and security forces have carried out about 3,600 raids on homes. These raids, almost always accompanied by searches and seizures, resulted in only six terrorism-related inquiries, only one of which, according to the Ministry of the Interior, led to a prosecution.”
See: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/05/opinion/frances-real-state-of-emergency.html
Regarding the former Guantanamo prisoners, most did indeed have their post-release convictions overturned on appeal. The most well-known is Mourad Benchellali, who works on deradicalising vulnerable young people. There’s a 2015 interview with him here: http://en.rfi.fr/france/20150211-resist-jihad-temptation-ex-guantanamo-prisoner-french-speaks-rfi
...on June 1st, 2017 at 6:23 am