Dear Friends,
The lead editorial in The New York Times today (here) highlights another example of the difference between what President Obama says and what he does. In his speech to the Netroots Nation 2010 convention yesterday, he said that his administration was trying to close Guantanamo in a responsible manner. But as the editorial points out, the Obama Administration is acting without empathy and in an irresponsible way. It has made Abdul Aziz Naji a victim once again. Mr. Naji was turned over by Pakistani police to the US in 2002 and was held at Guantanamo. He was never charged with a crime, never told why he was being held and never linked to any terrorist acts. He pleaded not to be sent back to Algeria and appealed to the Supreme Court, but he lost and was sent back to Algeria where he immediately disappeared and his family fears the worst.
Where is President Obama's empathy? Where is his sense of fairness? Mr. Naji's life has been destroyed and perhaps ended by our government, in our name. We should be outraged.
President Obama also made Shirley Sherrod a victim. President Obama and his administration took at face value a deceptively edited video by a known right wing racial provocateur and fired Ms. Sherrod without even checking what the truth was. There has been much written about this subject, so I will just recommend that you be sure to read two columns in The New York Times today Frank Rich's column (here) and Maureen Dowd's column (here).
Thanks for reading and please comment,
The Unabashed Liberal
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Update from the NY Times:
ReplyDeleteDaniel Fried, the State Department's special envoy in charge of the closing of Guantanamo Bay, said on Sunday that the United States had turned Mr. Naji over to the Algerian government, which held him for a few days' questioning, brought him before a magistrate and then released him on Sunday, after this editorial was published.
Thank you for the update.
ReplyDeleteAnother update
ReplyDeleteAlgeria says Guantanamo returnee lawfully detained http://af.reuters.com/article/algeriaNews/idAFLDE66P1L220100726
Mon Jul 26, 2010 3:44pm GMT
ALGIERS July 26 (Reuters) - An Algerian who dropped out of view after he was repatriated from the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay is at home after a short period of lawful detention, judicial sources in Algeria said on Monday.
U.S. human rights groups have said they believe Algerian national Abdul Aziz Naji, who was sent back home from Guantanamo Bay against his will, was being held in secret detention and was at risk of abuse.
"He is at home in Batna," said a judicial source who did not want to be identified, referring to a town about 500 km (310 miles) east of the Algerian capital.
"He just needs to go every week to the local police station to sign a form," said the source.
The Algiers Prosecutor's office said in a statement that Naji been held in detention in Algeria in accordance with legislation on holding terrorism suspects which allows for a person to be held for up to 12 days before appearing in court.
The statement said he was released after appearing before a judge on Sunday who placed him under judicial control -- which means he has to report regularly to police pending a further decision on his case.
"Contrary to what has been falsely reported, this person's case has been dealt with in the most complete transparency and in respect for the law, whether in terms of procedure or the length of his detention," the statement said. (Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Alison Williams)
From CCR
ReplyDeleteAlgerian Former Detainee Released to Family; Rights Group Calls on Algeria to Ensure His Ongoing Safety; Says U.S. Should End Practice of Forcible Repatriations
NEW YORK - July 26 - Today, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) issued the following statement concerning the Algerian government's release of former Guantánamo detainee Abdul Aziz Naji:
CCR has confirmed that shortly after publication of the lead editorial in yesterday's New York Times former Guantánamo detainee Abdul Aziz Naji was released from secret detention in Algeria. Mr. Naji reported to his U.S. attorneys this morning that he was treated well while in detention.
Although we are relieved that Mr. Naji was not abused and is safely home with his family, his public appearance discredits the Algerian government's previous denial that it was detaining him.
Algeria now must ensure Mr. Naji's safety and well-being, including by protecting him from extremists who might seek to cause him harm, and allow him to begin the slow process of rebuilding his life.
The U.S. State Department never should have put Mr. Naji at risk of disappearance and persecution by transferring him to Algeria against his will. It was illegal, and it was bad policy at a time when our country needs the support of Arabs and Muslims around the world.
Forcible repatriation is not the solution to Guantánamo Bay. The U.S. State Department should safely resettle any detainees who fear repatriation to their home countries, including Algeria.
In addition, Algeria should commit to not accepting men who do not wish to return there out of fear for their safety.