Steve Beasant

Liberal Democrat European justice & human rights spokeswoman and London MEP Sarah Ludford attended a rally on Saturday to protest against the continued Illegal detention of prisoners in Guantanamo, to mark tomorrow’s tenth anniversary of the camp’s opening.

Sarah Ludford, who was the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Guantanamo from 2003 and is vice chair of the European Parliament delegation to the US, commented:

“It is a huge blot on the moral reputation of the United States that the legal black hole of Guantanamo remains, and deeply disappointing that President Obama has broken his promise to close it. The self-inflicted wounds of the gross human rights abuses carried out through the ‘war on terror’ cannot heal until there is a full return to justice and the rule of law.”

“It is shameful that European countries were complicit in this US lawlessness including torture and secret prisons. Their ability to press for an end to illegal internment has been inhibited by their failure to bring transgressors to account and half-hearted cooperation in resettlement.”

“I call on the Foreign Secretary to secure the immediate return to his wife and young family in Battersea of legal UK resident Shaker Aamer who was cleared for release in 2007. If the much-vaunted ‘special relationship’ means anything, it means the ability to get tough with US breaches of due process. In addition, Ahmed Belbacha must also be allowed to resume his UK residence.”

“We must not forget that thousands of other prisoners are being similarly detained without charge in places like Bagram. The UK government must comply with the Court of Appeal order to get the release of Bagram detainee Yunus Rahmatallah whom British forces in Iraq disgracefully handed over to the Americans 6 years ago.”