Interview with AbuBaker Deghayes, brother of Guantanamo prisoner Omar Deghayes

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Tuesday May 09, 2006 16:12 by Dave - swp

(from current issue of Socialist Worker)

INTERVIEW: with AbuBaker Deghayes, brother of Omar Deghayes

The brother of Guantanamo prisoner Omar Deghayes, recently visited Galway at the invitation of “Galway Alliance Against War” (GAAW).

GAAW asked AbuBaker Deghayes to address their 1916 commemoration in order to raise the issue of Shannon airport being used by CIA jets involved in transporting prisoners to the infamous Camp Delta, Guantanamo Bay.

Dette Mc Loughlin of SWP Galway branch befriended AbuBaker Deghayes on his visit to Galway and interviewed him concerning his brother and the campaign to “Save Omar”.

DETTE “Can you give me the background to Omar’s case and how he came to be in Guantanamo?”

ABUBAKER ” My younger brother Omar was born in 1969 so he is now aged 37. Our father was a trade union leader in Libya. He was arrested and executed there as a political opponent of Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi.
Our family managed to flee persecution in Libya and was granted political asylum in the UK.
We settled in Brighton. Omar studied law at university, his aim was to become a human rights lawyer. After his Law degree he decided to travel to the east to taste Muslim culture. His application for British citizenship had been submitted but not yet granted before he left. He travelled around Malaysia, Pakistan and Afghanistan comparing Islamic laws with Western laws, and also looking at the possibility of setting up a business in dried fruit that would bring much needed employment to locals.
In Kabul he married and had a son.

Things changed after the 9/11 attacks and Omar fled to Pakistan with his family. He planned for them to return to Brighton. However, early one morning in April 2002 the house he was living in was surrounded by Pakistani security services. They entered by force, handcuffed Omar and his wife, took all their money and identity documents and imprisoned the couple with their baby.

Omar was sold to the U.S. military for $5,000 as an “enemy combatant”.

His wife and child were released. His wife told us that Omar was taken to Bagram airbase and from there to Guantanamo. 4 years later he is still there.

DETTE ”Has Omar been charged with any offence or stood trial? Is he at risk whilst being detained?”

ABUBAKER ”Omar has never been charged with any crime. He was told that Spanish authorities had video evidence of him training Chechyan terrorists. This is absolute rubbish, and was even discredited by British experts working for the British police and the BBC. No, he faces constant imprisonment, held hostage by the U.S. with no trial. I think this is being used as a deterent ,against Muslims especially, to scare them from activity.
At risk? Well he lost the sight in one eye through torture, had a finger crushed by a guard so that it now needs a metal rod to support it. He suffers systematic beatings. Because Omar has a legal background and knows his rights he appears to be aggressively targeted. He has been interrogated by US, British and Libyan Intelligence agents. He is under constant threat of being handed over to the Libyan authorities to be killed.”

DETTE “How do you know all this, how do you get news of your brother?”

ABUBAKER “ From his lawyer. When the case was taken against the U.S. authorities and won, it allowed each detainee access to a lawyer. Clive Stafford-Smith is acting as Omar’s lawyer. We made links with him through “Reprieve” and Amnesty International. But he can only release information that has been declassified by the Americans, otherwise he will not be granted access again.
Omar was last seen by his lawyer in September 2005, he was denied access on one occasion after that. This is disturbing as we have not had a letter from Omar since August 2005. He is allowed to write to his family through the Red Cross but obviously the letters are heavily sensored. He used to correspond with us every 2-3 months. We can and do write to Omar through the Red Cross but we have no guarantee that he receives mail. But we must continue to show the U.S. authorities that Omar has not been forgotten.
The 9 British citizens that were released from Camp Delta also told us what conditions are like there. One of them was held in a cage next to my brother.”

DETTE “What sort of a person is your brother, how would you describe him?”

ABUBAKER He is ambitious and very clever as you can tell by him moving to England and becoming literate and studying law. He is political, he would have views against the occupation of Palestine for instance. He holds our father’s principals highly: freedom of speech, human rights… He would be very involved in the community, teaching Arabic and visiting Muslim inmates in prison.
I know that my brother is innocent but if he is not to be released he is at least entitled to be charged, have a legitimate trial and be judged accordingly. He deserves justice.”

DETTE “What changes occurred in your life after 9/11?”

ABUBAKER “Obviously this whole incident with my brother has transformed my life. I think that there have been negative and positive changes.
The ethnic minorities, especially Muslims do not feel save and secure. The new anti-terror laws are creating the same atmosphere that I grew up under in Gadaffi’s Libya. If you are arrested now you may not know what for, or for how long, there is widespread erosion of human rights. These laws can be used indiscriminately, even against protesters. The rules of the game have changed- now there are no set rules, it’s like living under dictatorship. Moazzam Begg, one of those released from the camp has written a book “Enemy Combatant”. Even though he has done nothing wrong he is not allowed to leave Britain, otherwise he might have been here in Galway today.
But on the positive side I think that there is a lot more political awareness now, and I am not just speaking about myself. I had never been active before this happened to my brother. Many people who were never active before now feel an urgent need. People are standing up together for their rights. This has brought unity between the muslim and non-muslim communities in localities.
What happened with the London bombings was shocking and tragic. This would not be the usual actions of the ordinary law abiding, hard working Muslim. Britain’s involvement in Iraq was definitely the cause.

DETTE “What do you think of the War on Terror?”

ABUBAKER “ I think that this so called war is illegal and immoral. The US/UK and their allies have no strategy, they are just using state terrorism. They have might on their side, so they invade and murder, and it was all based on lies. WMDs? Democracy? Security? Better life for Iraqis?
The uprising against them now is bigger and more powerful as all the countries around Iraq are involved, the whole region is destablising.
But until there is justice for Palestine there will never be peace in the Middle East. Our future is in our hands. We must fight for Justice. “

DETTE “Amnesty International in Britain and Ireland have taken up your brother’s case. What other groups, organisations and politicians are involved, and what are the British government doing?”

ABUBAKER “The “Save Omar” group has been formed by local groups and citizens in Brighton. The Respect coalition, university groups as well as the Islamic forum are actively highlighting the campaign. Green Party councillors asked Jack Straw to bring Omar home, but when later asked in public about the case Jack Straw denied all knowledge of it. When Tony Blair was in Brighton he was asked to attend an audience with campaigners but he wouldn’t. He did say he would look into Omar’s case though.
Since then the official line is that the British government can’t make representations for people who are only “residents”. They say Omar must appeal to Libya for help! All European citizens have been released now. Obviously non-European citizens are treated as second class citizens.
It would appear the UN are useless. Even though Kofi Anan has called for Guantanamo to be closed because torture is a regular occurance there, nothing is done.
Omar’s case has received national publicity on “Newsnight” and in the “Guardian”. The “Stop the War” organisation also highlight his case.”

DETTE “Why are you here in Ireland?”

ABUBAKER “ I would do anything for justice for my brother. I am honoured to attend the GAAW commemoration. It gives me a generous opportunity to raise the issue, not only of my brother but of international human rights. What happened to my father, what is happening to my brother, it can happen to anyone, anywhere now. I thought the Irish would be against oppression and occupation given their history. It is strange to believe that the Irish government are actually accomplices to US/UK atrocities. But I have faith in the people of Ireland.”

DETTE “ How can people in Ireland assist your brother, what would you ask people to do?”

ABUBAKER “People in Ireland can do a lot. Contact your local politicians, government ministers, and your MEP. The European Parliament called for all European residents to be released from Guantanamo.

Write to Bush. Use your influence with your American friends. Public opinion is against what Bush and Blair are doing. Blair has called Guantanamo an “annomally”!

Write to my brother- show the U.S. that the world is aware.

Demonstrate together in numbers. When Condoleeza Rice visited Blackburn we all travelled up there with placards and shouted “Shame” at her.
Stop what is happening in Shannon, call for investigations. For all we know Omar having been kidnapped in Pakistan could have been transported via Shannon to Guantanamo Bay.

DETTE “Last weekend's revelations that US-made military helicopters destined for Israel - to be used against the Palestinian people - had been brought through Shannon apparently unbeknownst to the Irish government underlines the fact that terrible things are going on in Shannon airport. We simply cannot believe US denials that victims of their extraordinary renditions are not passing through Shannon to Guantanamo or to even more deadly destinations. The Bush administration has only contempt for Irish sovereignty or indeed the independence of any country. AbuBaker-Salaam.”

For information on the case of Omar Deghayes:

http://www.end-unlawful-imprisonment.org.uk

http://www.save-omar.org.uk