What do you see when you read the name?  I often think, what goes through all of my friends' minds when they see that name splattered across their Twitter feed, their Facebooks (if they haven't blocked me yet!)?  To all of my friends and blog followers who read my article last year, thank you, but did you sign the petition to ask for Parliament to discuss his case?

The debate the world is NOT having about Guantánamo Bay: why don’t countries do more to demand the repatriation of their citizens to help close Guantánamo?

Images are courtesy of London Guantanamo Campaign

On 7 March 2013, Cageprisoners hosted an event which featured Victoria Brittain, former foreign editor of The Guardian, speaking about her newly published book Shadow Lives.

It was the opportunity for all to learn about the daily struggles and immense strength of Guantanamo Bay detainees' wives or families of prisoners recently extradited to the US.

If you missed the event or want to remember these forgotten women once again, tune in tonight on Islam Channel (Sky 813) at 10.30 pm.

On the eve of International Women's Day, CagePrisoners hosted an event to honour the forgotten women of the War on Terror -- the wives and sisters of those men held in Guantanamo Bay, detained on control order/TPIMs, subjected to SIAC restrictions, and extradited to America.  The evening featured the voices of women who have been immediately affected and also the perspectives of the women who have provided support. At the event, CagePrisoners also celebrated Victoria Brittain's new book, Shadow Lives.

On the eve of International Women's Day, CagePrisoners hosted an event to honour the forgotten women of the War on Terror -- the wives and sisters of those men held in Guantanamo Bay, detained on control order/TPIMs, subjected to SIAC restrictions, and extradited to America.  The evening featured the voices of women who have been immediately affected and also the perspectives of the women who have provided support. At the event, CagePrisoners also celebrated Victoria Brittain's new book, Shadow Lives.

On the eve of International Women’s Day, CagePrisoners hosted an event to honour the forgotten women of the War on Terror – the wives and sisters of those men held in Guantanamo Bay, detained on control order/TPIMs, subjected to SIAC restrictions, and extradited to America.  

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands,
organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions; fed with the same
food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases,
heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter
and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If
you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die?
And if you wrong us, do we not revenge? If we are like you in the
rest, we will resemble you in that.

[Shylock, The Merchant of Venice]

At the Military Commissions on 04 Feburary 2013, Judge James Pohl (the US Military Commissions judge) made a distinction between the two topics that have been central to this week’s debates in the 9/11 trials – the secret censorship of the audio from the court to the public gallery and the eavesdropping of defence lawyers – client communications.  

On 11 January 2002, the first of nearly 800 prisoners was sent to the US military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. Images of these men shackled, wearing orange boiler suits, goggled and masked shocked the world. Eleven years on, 166 prisoners remain in captivity- all without due process. Join us in the quest for justice against the world's most notorious prison system.

Sometimes we do get justice.

Last week, a federal judge determined that John Walker Lindh (nicknamed “the American Taliban), must be allowed to pray daily with other Muslims.  Before this ruling, Lindh and the other Muslims prisoners in the Communication Management Unit (CMU) in Terre Haute, Indiana, had only been permitted daily group prayer during Ramadan. Apart from that period they were permitted group prayer once a week, on Fridays.

On 11 January 2002, the first of nearly 800 prisoners was sent to the US military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. Images of these men shackled, wearing orange boiler suits, goggled and masked shocked the world. Eleven years on, 166 prisoners remain in captivity- all without due process. Join us in the quest for justice against the world's most notorious prison system.

The French Parliament

It was a promise made by former President Sarkozy and Hollande has made it true. In the wake of the spree killings attributed to Merah, killed in a police raid few days after the attacks, Sarkozy made a speech to the nation in shock, to implement new anti-terrorist legislation which had to wait until the new government came into being.

The new Bill was proposed by Manuel Valls, ministry of interior and finally adopted in Parliament on 12 December 2012. This Bill includes allowing the prosecution of French nationals or persons ordinarily resident on the French territory that "engaged in acts of terrorism abroad or go abroad [...] to get training in terrorism". In fact, the 23 January 2006 Bill has already made this possible allowing punishment for  terrorist acts committed by French nationals outside the national territory. This new Bill creates a new offence which is to go to a training camp, including and especially when travelling in the Afghan-Pakistan area. Again, the 1986 Act on the "criminal association to commit a crime in relation with a terrorist undertaking" can already prosecute such behaviour and several trials have helped convict the accused of such charges based on this legislation. For example, five of the six French prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay by the US for years, when released by the U.S. authorities were convicted on their return to France. They were accused of having participated in military training camps attributed to Al Qaeda. 

This Bill also makes permanent a previous provision that was adopted in 2006 initially for a 2 years extendable period. It allows the surveillance of phone communications and internet activities in prevention, without the commission of any crime. 

What is the exact purpose of a new law? It is to criminalise conduct already punished by legislation already in place and installing monitoring arrangements already in use, otherwise to make a political move and to extend the fear among the population produced by Merah? 

Any act of solidarity or empathy towards foreign populations, attacked militarily by France, even if no declaration of war has been issued, gradually becomes a crime. What should we think of all the French citizens that fought alongside the Republicans against Franco in Spain during the civil war? Were they terrorist? No, those ones were considered as lawful combatants fighting for a “just war”. Here lays the ironic hypocrisy.  Where will be drawn the line between a terrorism and resistance? Probably where the State’s interest is. This Bill is totally in line with the so-called US "war on terror” opposing good against evil, fighting a “just war”. Saint Augustin must be rolling over in his grave…

11th January 2012 marks the 11th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay. CagePrisoners hosted a press conference to mark this occasion, bringing together former detainees to share their experiences and bring the conditions of the camp back onto the agenda.  As Victoria Brittain commented these men very rarely speak about themselves and despite their release as Bisher stated, they are forever reminded of the pain as they reflect on those left behind in Guantanamo. 

Zero Dark Thirty has been received with outrage and disgust by those who have fought tirelessly to close Guantanamo Bay down.  Earlier this evening, Twitter was filled with pictures from those who attended the premiere in the United States just to protest against this film.  Two hours of lies that attempt to justify the torture of detainees – a “gorgeously-shot two-hour ad” for why the torturers should not be punished.  This film claims the torture in Bagram, Kandahar, Guantanamo Bay and the secret detention camps are a necessary evil to secure intelligence – an argument that has been discredited on countless occasions and does not bare the slightest truth. 

I am angry at Zero Dark Thirty for the above reasons but I am disgusted at the actions of the directors and producers for a completely different reason.  Zero Dark Thirty, in all its false justifying, Hollywood glamorising, and desperation for money has been scheduled for release on the very same day as the 11th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay.  As if the film itself was not sufficiently disrespectful to the suffering of the detainees, they have ensured they have gone one step further to rub the fame of the film into the wounds of those who are aware of the significance of this day.  The regular man will be unaware of the background to 11th January – to most people, it is just another day.  But to us - the activists, the campaigners, the families of those kept captive – we know what 11th January means every year.  And the producers of Zero Dark Thirty are sending a message out to us especially by scheduling a release on this date.  We know that this film will be successful with the majority of the viewers for the drama and action and the excuse of CIA torture and they want us to think they have won, and that our campaigns will be silenced on this day. They cannot claim ignorance – a film that has researched Guantanamo Bay to the extent that they claim to have is aware of the date that the camp was opened.  All I can say is it is disgusting. There is no other word to summarise their actions. 

We will not be silenced. We will be joining global Guantanamo campaigns this week by hosting our own press conference, speaking with six former detainees on Thursday 10th December at 11am. We are providing a live feed of this conference on our website. Zero Dark Thirty wants to claim that torture works and produces successful counter-terrorism results? Let's hear what those who suffered the torture have to say about that.  Nobody knows Guantanamo Bay like the detainees do.   We have given a platform to the other side of the torture debate - Hear what they have to say, join us, spread the word and together we will not let Zero Dark Thirty take over this important week.

Join the Twitter debate - #GTMO11

Further information : Guardian- A letter to Kathryn Bigelow on Zero Dark Thirty's apology for torture

I don't even know where to begin with this statement, which I am faced with every day, if not explicitly then through the faces of those who pause to raise an eyebrow when I tell them that I write for the rights of those affected by the War on Terror. This is then quickly covered up with a smile and dismissal of - "Oh that sounds really interesting... Anyway..."

بينما أعلنت اللجنة الدولية لمناهضة سجن غوانتانامو، والرابطة الكويتية للمنتديات الاجتماعية تنظيمها وقفة صامتة أمام السفارة الأمريكية في الكويت يوم الأحد 20 من الشهر الجاري تضامنا مع أبناء الكويت المعتقلين في غوانتانامو، يصل نهاية الأسبوع الجاري براندون نيلي وهو أحد حراس معتقل غوانتانامو السابقين الى الكويت لتقديم اعتذار للمعتقلين السابقين عن الانتهاكات لمواثيق حقوق الانسان والقوانين الدولية بحق المعتقلين، لشعوره الدائم بالذنب.
من جانبه، قال المحامي عادل عبدالهادي محامي المعتقل فايز الكندري ان الحارس السابق لمعتقل غوانتانامو كشف عن تفاصيل مخزية وتصرفات مشينة ارتكبها بعض حراس المعتقل، مشيرا الى تعاملهم غير الانساني معهم لاجبارهم على الاعتراف تحت التهديد والضغط

وجّهت الولايات المتحدة تهماً رسمية للمعتقل عبدالرحيم الناشري في محكمة عسكرية في غوانتانامو في أول قضية قد تكون نتيجتها عقوبة الإعدام