<html>
<body>
<dl><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2><br>
<dd> Spain Drops Extradition Attempt Against Guantanamo
Torture Pair<br>
</b>
<dd> By Paul Hamilos and Vikram Dodd<br>
<dd> The Guardian UK<br>
<dd>
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/07/spain.guantanamo" eudora="autourl">
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/07/spain.guantanamo<br><br>
</a>
<dd> Friday 07 March 2008<br><br>
<dd> Spain yesterday dropped its attempt to extradite
two British residents who had been freed from Guantanamo Bay, after
accepting that torture they suffered during five years of American
custody had left them too weak to stand trial.<br><br>
<dd> Jamil el-Banna, 45, and Omar Deghayes, 38, who
were accused of being members of an al-Qaida cell in Madrid, were
detained on their return to Britain in December on a European arrest
warrant issued by Spain.The Madrid judge who issued the warrant, Baltasar
Garzon, accepted British medical reports which found the men were
suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other serious
medical conditions.<br><br>
<dd> Banna is said to be severely depressed, suffering
from PTSD, and to have diabetes, hypertension and back pain, as well as
damage to the back of his left knee. Deghayes is also suffering from
PTSD, and depression, is blind in his right eye, and has fractures in his
nasal bone and his right index finger. Both men are said to be at high
risk of suicide.<br><br>
<dd> The report on Deghayes concludes: "Given all
these factors, I don't see how Mr Deghayes would be able to give
instructions to his lawyers, listen to evidence and give his own accurate
testimony". A similar conclusion was drawn in the case of Banna,
adding that were he to be separated from his wife and children again, he
risked a deterioration of his fragile mental health.<br><br>
<dd> Deghayes, a Libyan national whose family fled the
Gadafy regime, said from his home in Brighton: "It's good - it's
happy news. I always knew they would realise their mistake and give up
the case. I still have problems with immigration as the authorities have
taken away my resident status, but this is a relief."<br><br>
<dd> The Home Office refused to guarantee to let the
pair stay with their families in Britain and said: "Their
immigration status is under review."<br><br>
<dd> Deghayes and Banna arrived back in Britain with a
third British resident, Abdennour Samuer. Banna, from north-west London,
was arrested in the Gambia in 2002 after he did not accept an MI5 request
to become an informant.<br><br>
<dd> Irene Nembhard, a lawyer for the men, said it was
time for them to be allowed to rebuild their lives.<br><br>
<br><br>
<br>
</font><x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
</dl><font size=3 color="#FF0000">Freedom Archives<br>
522 Valencia Street<br>
San Francisco, CA 94110<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#008000">415 863-9977<br><br>
</font><font size=3 color="#0000FF">
<a href="http://www.freedomarchives.org/" eudora="autourl">
www.Freedomarchives.org</a></font><font size=3> </font></body>
</html>