[Ppnews] A cry from Guantanamo

[Political Prisoner News]

A cry from Guantanamo
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http://www.bruneitimes.com.bn/details.php?shape_ID=17159

Jumah Al Dossari


15-Jan-07

I AM writing from the darkness of the US detention camp at Guantanamo 
in the hope that I can make our voices heard by the world. My hand 
quivers as I hold the pen.

In January 2002, I was picked up in Pakistan, blindfolded, shackled, 
drugged and loaded onto a plane flown to Cuba. When we got off the 
plane in Guantanamo, we did not know where we were.

They took us to Camp X-Ray and locked us in cages with two buckets _ 
one empty and one filled with water. We were to urinate in one and 
wash in the other.

At Guantanamo, soldiers have assaulted me, placed me in solitary 
confinement, threatened to kill me, threatened to kill my daughter 
and told me I will stay in Cuba for the rest of my life.

They have deprived me of sleep, forced me to listen to extremely loud 
music and shined intense lights in my face. They have placed me in 
cold rooms for hours without food, drink or the ability to go to the 
bathroom or wash for prayers.

They have wrapped me in the Israeli flag and told me there is a holy 
war between the Cross and the Star of David on one hand and the 
Crescent on the other. They have beaten me unconscious.

What I write here is not what my imagination fancies or my insanity 
dictates. These are verifiable facts witnessed by other detainees, 
representatives of the Red Cross, interrogators and translators.

During the first few years at Guantanamo, I was interrogated many 
times. My interrogators told me that they wanted me to admit that I 
am from al-Qaida and that I was involved in the terrorist attacks on 
the United States.

I told them that I have no connection to what they described. I am 
not a member of al-Qaida. I did not encourage anyone to go fight for al-Qaida.

Al-Qaida and Osama Bin Laden have done nothing but kill and denigrate 
a religion. I never fought, and I never carried a weapon. I like the 
US and I am not an enemy. I have lived in the US, and I wanted to 
become a citizen.

I know that the soldiers who did bad things to me represent 
themselves, not the US. And I have to say that not all American 
soldiers stationed in Cuba tortured us or mistreated us.

There were soldiers who treated us very humanely. Some even cried 
when they witnessed our dire conditions. Once, in Camp Delta, a 
soldier apologised to me and offered me hot chocolate and cookies.

When I thanked him, he said, "I do not need you to thank me." I 
include this because I do not want readers to think that I fault all 
Americans.

But, why, after five years, is there no conclusion to the situation 
at Guantanamo? For how long will fathers, mothers, wives, siblings 
and children cry for their imprisoned loved ones?

For how long will my daughter have to ask about my return? The 
answers can only be found with the fair-minded people of America.

I would rather die than stay here forever, and I have tried to commit 
suicide many times. The purpose of Guantanamo is to destroy people, 
and I have been destroyed. I am hopeless because our voices are not 
heard from the depths of the detention centre.

If I die, please remember that there was a human being named Jumah at 
Guantanamo whose beliefs, dignity and humanity were abused.

Please remember that there are hundreds of detainees at Guantanamo 
suffering the same misfortune. They have not been charged with any 
crimes. They have not been accused of taking any action against the US.

Show the world the letters I gave you. Let the world read them. Let 
the world know the agony of the detainees in Cuba.

Jumah Al Dossari is a 33-year-old citizen of Bahrain. This article 
was excerpted from letters he wrote to his attorneys. Its contents 
have been deemed unclassified by the Department of Defence. The Gulf Times



The Freedom Archives
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