Sandeep Singh Grewal - AHN Middle East Correspondent
Manama, Bahrain (AHN) – They were the most high profile cases taken by human rights groups and lawmakers in Bahrain. The years of ordeal for Bahrainis detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison may be over, but local activists are now demanding justice from U. S. authorities for what they call arbitrary detention of the men.
“All the Bahraini detainees are at home with their loved ones. Their release proves the U. S. no longer considers them terrorists or enemy combatants, as it maintained during their detention. They would have been home long back, if they were given an opportunity of fair trial,” local activist Nabeel Rajab told AHN.
The six Bahraini detainees released from Camp Delta were Adel Kamal, Shaikh Salman Al Khalifa, Abdullah Majid Al Nuaimi, Salah Al Beloushi, Juma Al Dossary and Isa Al Murbati. They were released in batches: three returned to Bahrain on November 2005, and the other three returned individually on October 2006 and July and August 2007.
Rajab, who is vice president of the defunct Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR), revealed that most of the Bahraini and Arab detainees were caught in Pakistan and not in Afghanistan as claimed by the U. S.
“It seems the men were bought from some poor Pakistani tribes because of the generous offers made by American soldiers to buy any foreigners,” he claimed.
Rajab said they had a tough time locating the Arab detainees’ families. “The U. S. administration refused to release the names and details of the inmates which could guide us. On the other hand, several families did not admit their men were in the Bay [detention camp]. They were afraid of being targeted by U. S. and its allied government in the Gulf as part of their war on terror,” he claimed.
The activist said after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the families’ task got tougher. “The families were scared of the public opinion against them after the twin tower attack. Some families lost faith in the American judicial and administrative system, especially when it came to issues related to Muslims.”
The BCHR played a key role during this period and coordinated with U. S.-based law firm Dorsey and Whitney LLP. But the obstacles kept getting bigger, as Congress approved the Military Commissions Act in 2006. The law bars foreign “enemy combatants” from going to court to challenge their designation as enemy combatants.
Ten lawyers from the U. S. voluntarily took up the case of the six detainees and visited them on 12 occasions from October 2004 to June 2007.
The lawyers became the voice between the families and the detainees, as they delivered messages and letters. On April 18, 2007, Al Dossary wrote to his attorney: “I can say that life and death, here in Cuba, are equal, but death has become my greatest hope to end my misery, suffering and sad life.” Al Dossary attempted suicide 15 times while begin held.
Isa Al Murbati, the last Bahrain detainee to be released, in August 2007, told AHN that he was learning to integrate back into society. “My health is good now. I am looking for a job, so that I don’t be a burden on my family,” he said.
In Saudi Arabia, Rajab said detainees returned there were kept in prison for up to two months and then shifted to a rehabilitation program for six months. “They were each given one car, lifetime monthly salary and extra money for marriage purpose after their release.”
The return to a normal live was less prolonged for the Bahraini detainees. They were interviewed by Kingdom prosecutors after being returned to their homeland. They were released after providing proof they had permanent homes there. The detainees also had to guarantee they would not leave the country again.
The American lawyers and the New-York based Center for Constitutional Rights played a pivotal role in the release of the men, said Rajab.
“The lawyers faced threats in their own country for taking up the case and are still being turned away by some detainees who suspect them of working with U. S. authorities. Bahrain preferred to engage in diplomatic dialogue with the American administrations, but it was the civil society, press and parliament which also pushed the case,” said Rajab.
The U. S. Department of Defense announced on its website on May 2 that about 65 detainees at Guantanamo were eligible for transfer or release. Since 2002, more than 500 detainees have been released by the authorities. Approximately 270 detainees remain at Guantanamo.
To help heal the wounds caused by what was the Bahrainis consider to be unjust detention, Rajab would like the detainees to be compensated financially by the United States. He holds no great expectations, however, given the current tone of U. S. legislation in such cases.
