For Ramadan, Please Write to the Prisoners in Guantánamo, Forgotten Again

1.7.14

Every six months, I ask people to write to the prisoners in Guantánamo, to let them — and the US authorities — know that they have not been forgotten.

The letter-writing campaign was started four years ago by two Facebook friends, Shahrina J. Ahmed and Mahfuja Bint Ammu, and it has been repeated every six months (see here, here, here, here, here and here). This latest campaign also coincides with the holy month of Ramadan, which began on June 29.

Guantánamo remains a legal, moral and ethical abomination, a place where the men still held — 149 in total — are, for the most part, indefinitely imprisoned without charge or trial, even though over half of them — 75 men — were cleared for release in January 2010 by the high-level, inter-agency Guantánamo Review Task Force established by President Obama when he took office in 2009, and three others were cleared for release in recent months by a new review process, the Periodic Review Boards.

In 2010, the task force recommended who to release, who to prosecute, and who to continue holding without charge or trial, on the extremely dubious basis that they were “too dangerous to release,” even though insufficient evidence existed to put them on trial. What this means, of course, is that the supposed evidence is no such thing, and consists largely of extremely unreliable statements made either by the prisoners themselves, or their fellow prisoners, in circumstances that were not conducive to telling the truth — involving the use of torture, for example, or other forms of abuse, and in some cases, bribery, when prisoners told lies to secure favorable treatment.

The Guantánamo Review Task Force’s report was published in January 2010, but it was not until June 2013 that a document explaining which prisoners had been placed into which categories was released through FOIA legislation. I analyzed that document here, and noted which prisoners had been placed in which categories in the prisoner list on the CloseGuantánamo.org website. Then, in February 2014, my friend and colleague Jason Leopold published a prisoner list, which he had just obtained from the Pentagon through a FOIA request, and which had not previously been made public, identifying 71 of the 166 prisoners held in April 2013 who had been designated as eligible for Periodic Review Boards. I analyzed that document here, and also added the information to the prisoner list on the CloseGuantánamo.org website.

These 71 men consisted of 46 men designated for ongoing imprisonment without charge or trial, and 25 others designated for prosecution, until two appeals court cases severely dented the viability of trials in the military commissions system at Guantánamo, when judges dismissed the convictions against two prisoners on the basis that the war crimes for which they has been tried had actually been invented by Congress and were not legally recognized.

In the list below, I have divided the remaining 149 prisoners into those cleared for release (78), those listed as being eligible for Periodic Review Boards (61) and those charged or tried in the military commissions system (10). Please note that I have kept the spelling used by the US authorities in the “Final Dispositions” of the Guantánamo Review Task Force.

Last May, after the prisoners, in despair at ever being released or being treated with justice, embarked on a prison-wide hunger strike that drew international criticism for President Obama’s failure to close the prison as he promised, the president made a new promise, in a major speech on national security issues, to resume releasing prisoners.

In the previous three years, the release of prisoners had slowed to a trickle because of opposition by Congress that the president was unwilling to spend political capital overcoming, even though he had the means to do so. The president also promised to appoint two envoys, in the Pentagon and the State Department, to deal with the release of prisoners and to work towards the closure of the prison, and, with support from important figures like Sen. Carl Levin, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Congress was also persuaded to ease its restrictions on the release of prisoners in December.

As a result of all of the above, twelve prisoners were released between August last year and March this year, and five more — all with leadership positions within the Taliban — were released in Qatar at the end of May in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the sole US prisoner of war in Afghanistan.

In his speech last May, President Obama also dropped his ban on releasing any cleared Yemeni prisoners, which he imposed after a Nigerian man, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who was recruited in Yemen, had tried and failed to blow up a plane bound for the US on Christmas Day 2009 with a bomb in his underwear.

However, despite this, no Yemenis have yet been freed, even though they make up the majority of the prisoners cleared for release, and this failure — based on the US establishment’s fears regarding the security situation in Yemen — needs to be addressed as soon as possible.

Writing to the prisoners

If you are an Arabic speaker, or speak any other languages spoken by the prisoners besides English, feel free to write in those languages. Do please note that any messages that can be construed as political should be avoided, as they may lead to the letters not making it past the Pentagon’s censors, but be aware that your messages may not get through anyway — although please don’t let that put you off.

When writing to the prisoners please ensure you include their full name and ISN (internment serial number) below (these are the numbers before their names, i.e. Shaker Aamer is ISN 239)

Please address all letters to:

Detainee Name
Detainee ISN
U.S. Naval Station
Guantánamo Bay
Washington, D.C. 20355
United States of America

Please also include a return address on the envelope.

The 78 prisoners cleared for release

Below are the names of the 78 prisoners in Guantánamo — out of the remaining 149 — who have been cleared for release. The phrase used by the task force to describe the recommendations for 55 of these men was “Transfer to a country outside the United States that will implement appropriate security measures.” Their identities were first revealed in September 2012. See below for the 30 other Yemenis recommended for “conditional detention,” and also for the three men recommended for release this year by Periodic Review Boards.

The 20 non-Yemeni prisoners cleared for release

ISN 038 Ridah Bin Saleh Al-Yazidi (Tunisia)
ISN 168 Adel Al-Hakeemy (Tunisia)
ISN 174 Hasham Bin Ali Omar Sliti (Tunisia)
ISN 189 Salem Abdu Salam Ghereby (Libya)
ISN 197 Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri (Morocco)
ISN 239 Shaker Aamer (UK-Saudi Arabia)
ISN 257 Imar Hamzayavich Abdulayev (Tajikistan)
ISN 309 Mjuayn Al-Din Jamal Al-Din Abd Al-Fadhil Abd Al-Sattar (UAE)
ISN 326 Ahmed Adnan Ahjam (Syria)
ISN 327 Ali Hussein Muhammed Shaban (Syria)
ISN 329 Abd Al-Hadi Omar Mahmoud Faraj (Syria)
ISN 502 Abdul Bin Mohammed Abis Ourgy (Tunisia)
ISN 684 Mohammed Tahanmatan (Palestine)
ISN 722 Jihad Deyab (Syria)
ISN 757 Ahmed Abdel Aziz (Mauritania)
ISN 894 Abdullah Bin Ali Al-Lufti (Tunisia)
ISN 899 Shawali Khan (Afghanistan)
ISN 928 Khi Ali Gul (Afghanistan)
ISN 934 Abdul Ghani (Afghanistan)
ISN 1103 Mohammed Zahir (Afghanistan)

The 25 Yemeni prisoners cleared for release

ISN 034 Al-Khadr Abdallah Muhammad Al-Yafi (Yemen)
ISN 035 Idris Ahmad Abd Al-Qadir Idris (Yemen)
ISN 152 Asim Thahit Abdullah Al-Khalaqi (Yemen)
ISN 153 Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman (Yemen)
ISN 163 Khalid Abd Al-Jabbar Muhammad Uthman Al-Qadasi (Yemen)
ISN 170 Sharaf Ahmad Muhammad Mas’ud (Yemen)
ISN 224 Abd Al-Rahman Abdullah Ali Shabati (Yemen)
ISN 249 Muhammed Abdullah Al-Hamiri (Yemen)
ISN 254 Muhammad Ali Husayn Khanayna (Yemen)
ISN 255 Said Muhammad Salih Hatim (Yemen)
ISN 259 Fadhel Hussein Saleh Hentif (Yemen)
ISN 511 Sulaiman Awath Silaiman Bin Agell Al-Nahdi (Yemen)
ISN 553 Abdul Khaled Al-Baydani (Yemen)
ISN 554 Fahmi Salem Said Al-Asani (Yemen)
ISN 564 Jalal Salam Awad Awad (Yemen)
ISN 566 Mansour Mohamed Mutaya Ali (Yemen)
ISN 570 Sabri Muhammad Ibrahim Al-Qurashi (Yemen)
ISN 572 Salah Mohammad Salih Al-Dhabi (Yemen)
ISN 575 Saa’d Nasser Moqbil Al-Azani (Yemen)
ISN 680 Emad Abdallah Hassan (Yemen)
ISN 686 Abdel Ghaib Ahmad Hakim (Yemen)
ISN 689 Mohammed Ahmed Salam (Yemen)
ISN 690 Abdul Al-Qader Ahmed Hassain (Yemen)
ISN 691 Muhammad Ali Salem Al-Zarnuki (Yemen)
ISN 1015 Husayn Salim Muhammad Matari Yafai (Yemen)

The 30 Yemeni prisoners cleared for release but designated for “conditional detention”

These men were cleared for release by the task force, although the task force members conjured up a new category for them, “conditional detention,” which it described as being “based on the current security environment in that country.” The task force added, “They are not approved for repatriation to Yemen at this time, but may be transferred to third countries, or repatriated to Yemen in the future if the current moratorium on transfers to Yemen is lifted and other security conditions are met.”

ISN 026 Fahed Abdullah Ahmad Ghazi (Yemen)
ISN 030 Ahmed Umar Abdullah Al-Hikimi (Yemen)
ISN 033 Mohammed Al-Adahi (Yemen)
ISN 040 Abdel Qadir Al-Mudafari (Yemen)
ISN 043 Samir Naji Al-Hasan Moqbil (Yemen)
ISN 088 Adham Mohamed Ali Awad (Yemen)
ISN 091 Abdel Al-Saleh (Yemen)
ISN 115 Abdul Rahman Mohammed Saleh (Yemen)
ISN 117 Mukhtar Anaje (Yemen)
ISN 165 Adil Said Haj Ubayd (Yemen)
ISN 167 Ali Yahya Mahdi (Yemen)
ISN 171 Abu Bakr Ibn Ali Muhammad Al-Ahdal (Yemen)
ISN 178 Tariq Ali Abdullah Ba Odah (Yemen)
ISN 202 Mahmoud Omar Muhammad Bin Atef (Yemen)
ISN 223 Abd Al-Rahman Sulayman (Yemen)
ISN 233 Abd Al-Razaq Muhammed Salih (Yemen)
ISN 240 Abdallah Yahya Yusif Al-Shibli (Yemen)
ISN 251 Muhammad Said Salim Bin Salman (Yemen)
ISN 321 Ahmed Yaslam Said Kuman (Yemen)
ISN 440 Muhammad Ali Abdallah Muhammad Bwazir (Yemen)
ISN 461 Abd Al-Rahman Al-Qyati (Yemen)
ISN 498 Mohammed Ahmen Said Haider (Yemen)
ISN 506 Mohammed Khalid Salih Al-Dhuby (Yemen)
ISN 509 Mohammed Nasir Yahi Khussrof (Yemen)
ISN 549 Umar Said Salim Al-Dini (Yemen)
ISN 550 Walid Said bin Said Zaid (Yemen)
ISN 578 Abdul Al-Aziz Abduh Abdullah Ali Al-Suwaydi (Yemen)
ISN 688 Fahmi Abdullah Ahmed Al-Tawlaqi (Yemen)
ISN 728 Abdul Muhammad Nassir Al-Muhajari (Yemen)
ISN 893 Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani (Yemen)

The three Yemeni prisoners cleared for release by Periodic Review Boards

ISN 031 Mahmud Abd Al-Aziz Al Mujahid (Yemen)
ISN 045 Ali Ahmad Al-Rahizi (Yemen)
ISN 128 Ghaleb Nassar Al-Bihani (Yemen)

The 61 prisoners eligible for Periodic Review Boards

Of the 61 prisoners notified that they were eligible for Periodic Review Boards in April 2013, the 38 listed below had been recommended for continued imprisonment without charge or trial in January 2010 by President Obama’s Guantánamo Review Task Force. 26 of these 38 were recommended for “Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001), as informed by principles of the laws of war.”

The 26 prisoners recommended in January 2010 for continued detention (without possible transfer to imprisonment in the US), but determined to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board in April 2013

ISN 028 Moath Hamza Ahmed Al-Alwi (Yemen)
ISN 037 Abdel Malik Ahmed Abdel Wahab Al-Rahabi (Yemen)
ISN 041 Majid Mahmud Abdu Ahmed (Yemen)
ISN 042 Abd al Rahman Shalbi Isa Uwaydah (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 044 Muhammed Rajab Sadiq Abu Ghanim (Yemen)
ISN 131 Salem Ahmad Hadi Bin Kanad (Yemen)
ISN 195 Mohammed Abd al Rahman Al-Shumrant [Shumrani] (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 232 Fawzi Khalid Abdullah Fahad Al-Odah (Kuwait)
ISN 242 Khalid Ahmed Qasim (Yemen)
ISN 244 Abdul Latif Nasir (Morocco)
ISN 324 Mashur Abdullah Muqbil Ahmed Al-Sabri (Yemen)
ISN 434 Mustafa Abd al-Qawi Abd Al-Aziz Al-Shamiri (Yemen)
ISN 441 Abdul Rahman Ahmed (Yemen)
ISN 508 Salman Yahya Hassan Mohammad Rabei’i (Yemen)
ISN 552 Faez Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kandari (Kuwait)
ISN 695 Omar Khalif Mohammed Abu Baker Mahjour Umar (Libya)
ISN 708 Ismael Ali Faraj Ali Bakush (Libya)
ISN 713 Mohammed Al-Zahrani (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 836 Ayub Murshid Ali Salih (Yemen)
ISN 837 Bashir Nasir Ali Al-Marwalah (Yemen)
ISN 838 Shawqi Awad Balzuhair (Yemen)
ISN 839 Musab Omar Ali Al-Mudwani (Yemen)
ISN 840 Hail Aziz Ahmed Al-Maythali (Yemen)
ISN 841 Said Salih Said Nashir (Yemen)
ISN 1045 Mohammed Kamin (Afghanistan)
ISN 10025 Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu (Kenya)

Note: 037 and 131 had their ongoing imprisonment approved by Periodic Review Boards in 2014.

In addition, the 12 men below were recommended for “Continued detention pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (2001), as informed by principles of the laws of war, subject to further review by the Principals prior to the detainee’s transfer to a detention facility in the United States.” This is a reference to the Obama administration’s plans to bring prisoners to a facility on the US mainland, so that Guantánamo could be closed. These plans were blocked by Congress, but it is unclear why the task force only designated these 12 men for possible transfer to the US because, if the 26 others were to continue being held at Guantánamo, it would have been impossible to close the prison. In April 2013, they were determined to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board.

The 12 prisoners recommended in January 2010 for continued detention (with possible transfer to imprisonment in the US), but determined to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board in April 2013

ISN 027 Uthman Abd Al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman (Yemen)
ISN 029 Mohammed Al-Ansi (Yemen)
ISN 235 Saeed Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Sarem Jarabh (Yemen)
ISN 522 Yassim Qasim Mohammed Ismail Qasim (Yemen)
ISN 560 Haji Wali Muhammed (Afghanistan)
ISN 576 Zahar Omar Hamis bin Hamdoun (Yemen)
ISN 975 Karim Bostan (Afghanistan)
ISN 1017 Omar Mohammed Ali Al-Rammah (Yemen)
ISN 1119 Ahmid Al-Razak (Afghanistan)
ISN 1463 Abd al-Salam Al-Hilah (Yemen)
ISN 10023 Guleed Hassan Ahmed (Somalia)
ISN 10029 Muhammad Rahim (Afghanistan)

The task force originally recommended 36 prisoners for prosecution. Three accepted plea deals in their military commissions at Guantánamo, and one other, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, was transferred to the US for a federal court trial (before Congress banned the transfer of prisoners to the US mainland for any reason, even trials), at which he received a life sentence. Of the remaining 32, 23 were determined to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board in April 2013, after two of the only convictions secured in the military commissions were overturned by appeals court judges.

The 23 prisoners recommended for prosecution but not charged, who were determined to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board in April 2013

ISN 063 Mohamed Mani Ahmad Al-Kahtani [Al-Qahtani] (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 535 Tariq Mahmoud Ahmed Al-Sawah (Egypt)
ISN 569 Suhayl Abdul Anam Al-Sharabi (Yemen)
ISN 682 Abdullah Al-Sharbi (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 685 Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush (Algeria) aka Abdelrazak Ali
ISN 694 Sufyian Barhoumi (Algeria)
ISN 696 Jabran Al-Qahtani (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 702 Ravil Mingazov (Russia)
ISN 753 Abdul Sahir [Zahir] (Afghanistan)
ISN 760 Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Mauritania)
ISN 762 Obaidullah (Afghanistan)
ISN 1094 Saifullah Paracha (Pakistan)
ISN 1453 Sanad Al-Kazimi (Yemen)
ISN 1456 Hassan Bin Attash (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 1457 Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al-Hajj (Yemen)
ISN 1460 Abdul Rabbani (Pakistan)
ISN 1461 Mohammed Rabbani (Pakistan)
ISN 10016 Zayn Al-Ibidin Muhammed Husayn (Palestine) aka Abu Zubaydah
ISN 10017 Mustafa Faraj Muhammed Masud Al-Jadid Al-Usaybi (Libya)
ISN 10019 Encep Nurjaman (Indonesia) aka Hambali
ISN 10021 Mohd Farik bin Amin (Malaysia)
ISN 10022 Bashir bin Lap (Malaysia)
ISN 3148 Haroon al-Afghani (Afghanistan)

The 10 prisoners charged or tried

The seven prisoners currently facing charges

ISN 10011 Mustafa Ahmad Al-Hawsawi (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 10013 Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh (Yemen)
ISN 10014 Walid Mohammed Bin Attash (Yemen)
ISN 10015 Mohammed Al-Nashiri (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 10018 Ali Abd Al-Aziz Ali (Pakistan)
ISN 10024 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (Kuwait)
ISN 10026 Nashwan Abd Al-Razzaq Abd Al-Baqi (Hadi) (Iraq)

The two prisoners already convicted via plea deal

ISN 768 Ahmed Al-Darbi (Saudi Arabia)
ISN 10020 Majid Khan (Pakistan)

One other prisoner convicted under President Bush

Ali Hamza al-Bahlul was not included in the task force’s deliberations, as he had been tried and convicted in a one-sided trial by military commission in October 2008, at which he refused to mount a defense. His conviction was dismissed by an appeals court in January 2013, although the government has appealed.

ISN 039 Ali Hamza Al-Bahlul (Yemen)

Note: For further information on the prisoners, see my six-part definitive Guantánamo prisoner list (Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five and Part Six).

Andy Worthington is a freelance investigative journalist, activist, author, photographer and film-maker. He is the co-founder of the “Close Guantánamo” campaign, and 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. He is also the co-director (with Polly Nash) of the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (available on DVD here — or here for the US).

To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to Andy’s RSS feed — and he can also be found on Facebook (and here), Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. Also see the six-part definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, and “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” an ongoing, 70-part, million-word series drawing on files released by WikiLeaks in April 2011. Also see the definitive Guantánamo habeas list, the full military commissions list, and the chronological list of all Andy’s articles.

Please also consider joining the “Close Guantánamo” campaign, and, if you appreciate Andy’s work, feel free to make a donation.

35 Responses

  1. Andy Worthington says...

    On Facebook, Stop Wikileaks Censorship by Obama Administration wrote:

    xoxoxoxoxo

  2. Andy Worthington says...

    Thank you! Kisses to you too!

  3. Andy Worthington says...

    Muna Abougoush wrote:

    Is there a good chance that they won’t receive the letters?

  4. Andy Worthington says...

    I don’t know how many letters and cards get through to the prisoners and how many don’t, Muna. Certainly some are returned to the senders, and others, we must presume, simply disappear, but enough do get through to make a difference to the prisoners – and, of course, letters remind the US authorities that people are watching, which is hugely important, as abuse is most easily exercised in places that are not under scrutiny.

  5. Andy Worthington says...

    Hanann Baghdadi wrote:

    that’s so thoughtful of you Andy, I mean apart from all the big stuff that you do campaigning 24/7, it’s so thoughtful of you to think of their hardship in celebration times.

  6. Andy Worthington says...

    Lubna ‘Bonnie’ Karim wrote:

    Your an Angel Andy!

  7. Andy Worthington says...

    Hajra Bholat wrote:

    you are a true human i don’t have enough words to praise you ANDY, best wishish to you

  8. Andy Worthington says...

    Thank you, Hanann, Lubna and Hajra for the kind words, which are very much appreciated.

  9. Andy Worthington says...

    Umm Ghazi wrote:

    thank you 🙂

  10. Andy Worthington says...

    Hena H. Siddiqui wrote:

    Great job Andy. Will definitely get writing and encourage others to do so as well.

  11. Andy Worthington says...

    Yusra Sheikh wrote:

    Your efforts are not in vain 🙂

  12. Andy Worthington says...

    Sohail Manzoor wrote:

    Great job, Ramadan Mubarik to brothers in Islam

  13. Andy Worthington says...

    Abdulkhaliq Muhaisni wrote:

    Thanks for your work, sir.

  14. Andy Worthington says...

    Thanks, Umm Ghazi, Hena, Yusra, Sohail and Abdulkhaliq. Great to hear from you all, and thanks for the kind words. Please do encourage others to write to the men still held. With progress so slow they need reminding that there are people still thinking about them.

  15. Sajeda hamaid says...

    Salam Alikom wa Rahmatulahi wa Barakato,

    Ramadan Kareem my dear brothers and sisters. You are in my dua every day and always in my heart. I love you so much for the sake of Allah. I know each of your faces by my heart. I see some of your families in the news and at functions that support you. You have beautiful strong loving families that let us all know things … at this time of celebration of Ramadan it is important that I let you know you are with me in celebrations and you are with me in my sadness that you are not with your loved ones…Insha’Allah soon. May Allah make ease the pain you suffer, give you much strength, give you moments of peace Ameen… May Allah have Mercy on You, forgive you and grant you the highest ranking in Jhannah, Ferdos. Ameen … I truly love you for the sake of Allah.

    wa Alikom Salam wa Rahmatulahi wa Barakato

    Sajeda

  16. Andy Worthington says...

    Zakir Khan wrote:

    Thank you for this Andy Worthington. Do you have a list for those whom speak English and those that don’t? Do letters written in English to Arabic only speakers get read?

  17. Andy Worthington says...

    Hi Zakir,
    Thanks for your interest in writing to the prisoners.
    I’m sure that, by now, all the prisoners speak some English, even if they have not learned it formally in a classroom. Everything the US has done has been so wrong. They could have held people as PoWs, treated them well, and taught them English, for example, but they did exactly the opposite.
    I’m not sure what to advise regarding writing in Arabic. Obviously it shouldn’t be a problem, but I don’t know if it would make some of the personnel at Guantanamo suspicious. I imagine they have an Arabic speaker who looks at anything written in Arabic.

  18. Azziza says...

    This is a great idea Andy! I want to get involved but want to ask about whether you have to live in the US to do this? I live in the UK but am not sure of how I’d send the letters (what stamps to buy, how to post them…)
    Thanks in advance,
    Azziza

  19. Andy Worthington says...

    Hi Azziza,
    It’s easy. You just go to a Post Office with your letter, and get it weighed and priced for sending to the US. I don’t know the costs off the top of my head, but a straightforward letter shouldn’t cost too much.

  20. S says...

    Azziza,

    It costs £0.88p per letter for a sheet of writing paper and envelope. If you tell the Post Office you’re posting it to the US they’ll give you an 88p stamp and an airmail sticker.

  21. Andy Worthington says...

    Thanks, S, for the information.

  22. S says...

    Sorry, just bought stamps today and apparently the price went up in April, it’s now £0.97 (not £0.88).

    100 letters written, 49 to go.

    Thanks Andy.

  23. Andy Worthington says...

    Thanks for the information, S – and your dedication is impressive!

  24. Dean says...

    Hi Andy, Is this ongoing, as in are we able to send letters at anytime? Also, have you received any replies from anyone as of yet? Or a confirmation that your letter was received by any of the prisoners? Thank you for all of your efforts in this.

  25. Andy Worthington says...

    Hi Dean,
    Yes, anyone can send letters anytime. The reminders every six months are primarily to mobilize support and to provide details about what to do. I can’t provide any reliable information about what happens to letters and cards. I think that in general they get through to the prisoners these days, but sometimes they’re returned without explanation. It’s important, however, to remind the authorities that people are watching, as well as to try to reassure the men that they haven’t been forgotten.

  26. Dean says...

    Thanks for your reply Andy, I hope it’s ok to ask, have you managed to receive a reply from any of the detainees as of yet? Thanks again.

  27. freedetainees.org – Please Write to the Prisoners in Guantánamo, Forgotten Again says...

    […] Source […]

  28. Andy Worthington says...

    I haven’t written to the prisoners myself, Dean, but I have heard that people have occasionally received replies. I do think, however, that the most important thing is to remind the prisoners that they haven’t been forgotten, and to remind their captors that people are watching what they do.

  29. John says...

    24 prisoners have been recommended for prosecution. Not 23. Suhayl Abdul Anam Al-Sharabi is the 24th prisoner.

    http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/569-zuhail-abdo-anam-said-al-sharabi

    Anyway, who would want to write to KSM (the admitted killer of Daniel Pearl and admitted mastermind of 9/11), Hambali or Abu Faraj al-Libi?

  30. John says...

    My mistake. He’s on the list. I guess one of the 24 recommended prosecutions ended in a plea deal after being charged.

  31. Andy Worthington says...

    Thanks for the comments, John.

  32. Sgt USMC says...

    I pray to Jesus, that you all are fed pork.

    I thoroughly enjoyed killing all of your brothers in the time I spent in Iraq

  33. Andy Worthington says...

    What a disgusting comment. I hope one day you will realize how much you have been lied to by your leaders.

  34. Charles Ellenbogen says...

  35. Andy Worthington says...

    Thanks, Charles. Good to hear from you. I just mentioned Mohamedou Ould Slahi’s diary in an article promoting two radio interviews I took part in recently – one with Larry Siems and Nancy Hollander, Slahi’s attorney: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2015/02/10/radio-andy-worthington-discusses-guantanamo-and-we-stand-with-shaker-on-kboo-fm-in-portland-and-radio-islam-in-chicago/

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Andy Worthington

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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