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Sami al-Hajj: 'Thank you, Guantanamo'

By possum

The headline seems too good to be true.  Sami al-Haji was detained at Guantanamo Bay for more than 6 years during which time he was questioned many times.  A cameraman for al-Jazeera, al-Haji was released at last without charges.
al-Haji

has decided, with the collaboration of Al-Jazeera, to establish a department to defend human rights and freedoms in the world, to be a basket for news and reports about abuses and to present them to the public.

His descriptions of both his personal treatment and the treatment of other detainees corresponds with other tales of horror from Guantanamo.

They locked us in freezing rooms, and fed us one cold meal a day. They kept us from sleeping. If we closed our eyes, they hit us on our heads like cattle, or threw cold water on us. They forced us to watch pictures and video of people dying under torture, bleeding. They forced us to watch porn pictures, put on women clothes or strip and walk naked like donkeys. We were forced to salute when the American anthem played. They humiliated the prisoners by forcing them to cover their bodies with the American and Israeli flags.

al-Haji is a Sudanese citizen but the United States insisted he not travel outside his native country after release.

Al-Hajj says they put three conditions to him: not to work with the media, not to talk about what he saw in Guantanamo, and not to travel outside Sudan. But he refused to sign, as did his government.

Thank goodness the man and his nation saw fit to refuse the conditions.  The United States should be apologizing and doing what is available to correct the man's condition today.  We owe him rehabilitation in addition to an abject apology.

In speaking of his new venture in human rights al-Haji says

We are counting on the European countries now that the United States have proved their failure in this matter.

Another sad assessment of the United States position in international relations.

Peace.

Full post as published by Never In Our Names on October 08, 2008 (boomark / email).