Life after Guantanamo

Guantánamo Art Exhibition in London Humanizes Men Maligned as the “Worst of the Worst”, Shows How Artwork Gave Them Hope

13.12.24

My report, illustrated with photos, and including videos, of the inspiring launch of the first UK exhibition of Guantánamo prisoners’ art, which took place on December 5 at Rich Mix in east London, and which runs until January 5. Mansoor Adayfi and I spoke at the well-attended event, with Mansoor, in particular, eloquently explaining how, after years of isolation and oppression, the opportunity to create artwork, after Barack Obama became president, was an absolute lifeline for many of the men, allowing them to express their creativity, and to connect with their memories and with the outside world. I also discuss the history of the exhibitions, which began in New York in 2017, but led to a clampdown by the Pentagon, and highlight the six artists featured in the exhibition, pointing out how one of them, Moath Al-Alwi, is still held despite having been approved for release for many years (as is the case with another artist, Khaled Qassim, not featured in the exhibition). I also note how, even for the other five men, who have been released, their post-Guantánamo existence is, in many cases, still profoundly and unjustly affected by the stigma of having been held at Guantánamo.

Ex-Guantánamo Prisoner Abdul Rahim Rabbani Dies After 20 Years of Medical Neglect by the US and Inadequate Care Since His Release

12.11.24

My obituary for former Guantánamo prisoner Abdul Rahim Rabbani, who died on November 1 at just 57 years of age. A chef, he was seized with his brother Ahmed, a taxi driver, during a number of house raids in Karachi, in Pakistan, on September 11, 2002, and the brothers spent a year and a half in CIA “black site” torture prisons before being flown to Guantánamo in September 2004, where they were held without charge or trial for 18 and a half years until their release in February 2023. The US authorities claimed that they were “Al-Qaeda facilitators”, but never put them on trial, suggesting that their supposed evidence was non-existent. Nevertheless, the brothers were repeatedly recommended for ongoing imprisonment without charge or trial by various high-level government review processes until May 2021, when Abdul Rahim was recommended for release by a Periodic Review Board, with a similar recommendation for Ahmed following in October 2021. Unfortunately, inadequate medical treatment at Guantánamo, and the inadequate provision of care in Pakistan after his release, contributed significantly to Abdul Rahim’s death, a problem that afflicts numerous former prisoners, and that was highlighted in a withering report last year by UN Special Rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, after a visit to the prison, and numerous meetings with former prisoners.

Guantánamo Resettlements in Turmoil as Oman Forcibly Repatriates Yemenis Given New Homes Between 2015 and 2017

15.8.24

My detailed report about the disturbing news that the majority of the 28 former Guantánamo prisoners from Yemen, who were resettled in Oman between 2015 and 2017 because it was unsafe for them to be sent home, have been forcibly repatriated in recent weeks. To provide some necessary context, my article also includes an overview of the Obama administration’s resettlement program, in which, from 2009 to 2017, 125 former prisoners were resettled in 28 countries around the world, and I also discuss some glaring examples of countries that have failed to treat these men fairly or humanely, as supposedly required in the “diplomatic assurances” agreed with the US. The news from Oman is particularly dispiriting because the resettlement program there had been successful, with many of the men securing work, and marrying and having children. Oman has provided no explanation, and comments by US officials have been particularly troubling, with one State Department official stating that the US government had “never had an expectation that former Guantánamo detainees would indefinitely remain in receiving countries.” Another US official suggested that the Omanis were “making room” for a new arrival of former prisoners from Guantánamo, eleven men whose resettlement was supposed to take place last October, but was cancelled after the Hamas attacks on October 7. Both are alarming positions for the US government to take, as they blithely ignore the fact that, for the last 15 years, Congress has included provisions in the annual National Defense Authorization Act specifically preventing the repatriation of any Yemenis from Guantánamo because of security concerns. The Omanis’ actions, with US support, also violate the fundamental principle, under international human rights law, of non-refoulement, which prohibits the return of anyone to a country where they may face torture or other forms of abuse, which is a distinct possibility in divided and war-torn Yemen. Of particular concern, however, are the ramifications of the suggestion that resettlements were never meant to be permanent, which needs to be robustly challenged, because otherwise it will indicate to some of the other countries who resettled former prisoners between 2009 and 2017 that they too can get rid of these men if they find their continued presence inconvenient.

An Exhibition of Guantánamo Prisoners’ Artwork at Humboldt University of Berlin

14.2.24

My report about “über Guantánamo hinaus”, the first exhibition of Guantánamo prisoners’ original artwork outside the US, currently taking place at Humboldt University of Berlin, and featuring artwork by one prisoner still held, Moath al-Alwi, and three former prisoners, Sabri al-Qurashi, Mohammed al-Ansi and Ghalib al-Bihani.

Close Guantánamo: Our Achievements in 2023, Marking Guantánamo’s 22nd Anniversary on Jan. 11, and What We Can Do in 2024

31.1.24

My review of Guantánamo in 2023, events marking the 22nd anniversary of the prison’s opening on January 11, 2024, and hopes, plans, actions and possibilities for 2024. As this is the last year of President Biden’s term as president, those us seeking to exert pressure on the administration to make progress towards the closure of Guantánamo need to do all we can to highlight its many ongoing crimes, including the continued imprisonment of 16 men approved for release, conditions at the prison, and the plight of men released from Guantánamo under “diplomatic assurances” that have often turned out to be worthless.

Video: Guantánamo at 22 – Mohamedou Ould Slahi, Fionnuala Ní Aoláin and Andy Worthington at New America

25.1.24

The video of, and my report about the powerful online panel discussion, hosted by the New America think-tank, marking the 22nd anniversary of the opening of the prison at Guantánamo Bay on January 11, featuring former prisoner Mohamedou Ould Slahi, UN Rapporteur Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, and myself, moderated by New America’s Vice President, Peter Bergen.

A Glimpse of Light in the Darkness, As Former Guantánamo Prisoner Mansoor Adayfi is Welcomed to the UK Parliament

22.11.23

My report about the inspiring visit to the Houses of Parliament last week by former Guantánamo prisoner Mansoor Adayfi, where he was welcomed by Chris Law MP, the co-chair of the recently established All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Closure of the Guantánamo Detention Facility.

Video: My Impassioned Speech at the EU Parliament’s “Close Guantánamo!” Event on Sep. 28, 2023

26.10.23

The video of my speech at the inspiring “Close Guantánamo!” event at the European Parliament on September 28, 2023, hosted by the Irish MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, at which I stressed how the men still held at Guantánamo are as fundamentally without rights as they were when the prison first opened nearly 22 years ago, and called on EU countries to help resettle the men approved for release but who cannot be repatriated.

Video and Report: The Incredibly Powerful “Close Guantánamo!” Event in the EU Parliament, September 28, 2023

1.10.23

My detailed report about, and the video of ‘Close Guantánamo!’, an extraordinary and hugely powerful three-hour event held at the EU Parliament on September 28, 2023, featuring nine speakers, including Mansoor Adayfi (on what was only his second trip to freedom since he finally got a passport earlier this year) and two other former prisoners, two lawyers, a UN Rapporteur, myself and others, hosted by the inspiring independent Irish MEPs Clare Daly and Mick Wallace. As the event highlighted, the priorities for anyone concerned with justice, and with bringing to an end Guantánamo’s vile existence, are to resettle 16 men still held who have been approved for release (for which the countries of EU can help), providing adequate medical care for everyone still held at the prison, reminding the US government that it continues to have an obligation to ensure the welfare of former prisoners, even after their release, and, eventually, seeking accountability for the crimes that the US government has committed, and still continues to commit at Guantánamo.

The Long Struggle To Save Former Prisoner Ravil Mingazov From A Fate Worse Than Guantánamo — Seven Years’ Arbitrary Imprisonment in the UAE

20.9.23

The shameful story of Ravil Mingazov, a Russian Tatar held at Guantánamo for 14 years, then sent to the UAE, where he has been imprisoned for nearly seven years, in harsh conditions, despite having been promised that he would be helped to rebuild his life as a free man. His son and wife were granted asylum in the UK in 2014, and campaigners here in the UK are currently involved in efforts to persuade the British government to bring him to the UK to rejoin his family.

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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, singer/songwriter (The Four Fathers).
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