August Newsletter

From the Archive

A few news updates about what has been happening at Guantanamo and in our activist community. Please read and share widely.

15 men released from Guantanamo Bay Prison

We celebrate the release of 15 men from Guantanamo last Monday to United Arab Emirates. Read more about this process and their resettlement here. The names of those released are:

Mahmud al Mujahid (now 36, from Yemen)
Mohammed Khusruf (now 66, from Yemen)
Abd al Muhsin Salih al Busi (now 37, from Yemen)
Abd al Rahman Sulayman (now 37, from Yemen)
Zahir Omar Hamis bin Hamdoun (now 36, from Yemen)
Majid Mahmud Abdu Ahmed (now 36, from Yemen)
Bashir al Marwalah (now 37, from Yemen)
Saeed Sarem Jarabh (now 38, from Yemen)
Ayub Murshid Ali Salih (now 38, from Yemen)
Mohammed al Adahi (now 54, from Yemen)
Abdel Qadir al Mudhaffari (now 40, from Yemen)
Abdul Muhammed al Muhajari (now 46, from Yemen)
Obaidullah (now 36, from Afghanistan)
Haji Hamdullah (in his 50s, from Afghanistan)
Mohammed Kamin (now 38, from Afghanistan)

We hope that they will be given support as they settle into a new life far away from Guantanamo, and that they will be able to see their families soon. Obaidullah’s family was interviewed here.

There are now 61 detainees who remain in the prison: 20 are cleared for release, 31 are awaiting clearance through the Periodic Review Board, and 10 are in the military commission system (of those, 7 are currently in proceedings and 3 have been “convicted”).

Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab

Witness Against Torture wrote a statement pleading for continuing assurances from all relevant authorities of the safety of Jihad Ahmed Mustafa Dhiab (aka Jihad Ahmed Deyab). Dhiab poses no threat to any nation, society, or people. He should immediately be set free so that he can continue to rebuild his life after years of detention at Guantanamo. You can read the full statement here.

Join us at the SOA Watch Convergence on the US/Mexico Border October 7-10

We stand in solidarity with the goals of the Convergence: to resist border militarization, engage in nonviolent direct action, and challenge the racist status quo that keeps our immigrant brothers and sisters imprisoned in detention centers and separated from their loved ones. We are looking to form an affinity group, if you are interested please email witnesstorture@gmail.com now and we will connect over conference call in September.

For more information on the Convergence visit www.soaw.org/border

News from our community

Art Lafflin received the Pax Christi USA Teacher of Peace Award this August. He is a founding member of Witness Against Torture and helps keep up a weekly vigil in front of the White House, to which we bring our witness during the January fast. You can read more about the award here.

We remember George Homanich

George Homanich passed away on August 7th. Matt Daloisio shared that “George was a singularly unique guy: a mix of fierce commitment, unassuming humility, gentle compassion, and deep love. His presence in the Witness Against Torture community was deeply cherished, and his absence will be hard to accept. Sending love to Judy and all the family.”

Lastly, make sure to save the date for our annual Fast for Justice: January 3-12 and our presence at the Presidential Inauguration January 19-21 – We will start planning for these events soon. If you are interested in participating in the planning process, please email witnesstorture@gmail.com.