[PF:167624] Our Brother Shaker Aamer is Gradually Dying; Your Action is Needed Urgently!

 

Bismillaah, wal-hamdulilaah, was-salaatu was-salaamu 'alaa rasoolillaah,

Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatuallahi wa barakatuhu

 

 

 

http://aseerun.wordpress.com/2011/11/29/urgent-request-shaker-aamer-is-dying-your-action-is-needed/

Action Alert: Shaker Aamer is Gradually Dying; Your Action is Needed Urgently!

29 Nov

It is vital that the British Government secure the immediate release of Shaker Aamer, the alternative, namely inaction, could mean sentencing Shaker to a slow lingering death.

Shaker Aamer's life is in danger. Human rights charity Reprieve director Clive Stafford Smith saw Shaker last week and was "horrified at what he found". The view of Clive Stafford Smith Director of Reprieve is that he is gradually dying in Guantánamo. Shaker has made it absolutely clear he is totally innocent of any crime. His incarceration in Guantánamo, the conditions in which he has been held, the abuse and torture he has undergone, have led to his present terrible state of health. It is now known he is suffering from many ailments – arthritis, asthma, prostate problems, pains in his kidneys and neck, shoulder and back pain resulting from beatings – a direct result of his unjust imprisonment.

The Save Shaker Aamer Campaign (SSAC) has repeatedly requested the UK Government make a full medical assessment and regularly monitor Shaker's health as well as the conditions in which he has been held. This is the very least British Governments should have done over the last 10 years since Shaker's detention and rendition by the two US Administrations. Such action should be carried out by the British Government immediately. There can be no reason not to do this.

The British Government has gone on record as saying it wants the US to release Shaker Aamer back to the UK. It is now time for the British Government to demand that the US do so immediately. It is also time for Prime Minister David Cameron to use the 'special relationship' and intervene personally.

There is no justification for Shaker to be held in an illegal prison camp. Shaker is a UK resident, his wife and children are British citizens. There have been no charges made – no trial – and no declared intentions to do so in the future.

The US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta has not certified Britain as a safe place for Shaker to be returned to, nor has he reassured the US Administration that releasing Shaker to the UK presents no security issues for the US. This is simply shocking and the British Government and all Members of Parliament should be outraged that such a situation exists. If the British Government has made representations to Mr Panetta they clearly have not been expressed strongly enough. It is difficult to understand how this situation can be allowed to run year after year without any movement or progress.

How is it that the US is at great pains to point out its admiration for the British way of life, that the two countries have a special relationship involving extensive common interests, that we are trusted to be war allies, and yet we are seemingly perceived to be not effective when handling our own internal security?

British Government ministers have made occasional statements to the media that they are continuing to call for Shaker's release and have also alluded to the fact British officials have regular discussions with US state officials in this respect. It is absolutely essential that the British Government make a full public statement condemning Shaker's continued imprisonment and reiterating their determination to see Shaker returned to the UK.

With the news that Shaker's health is extremely poor and failing him, with reports that his life is in real danger, that "he is gradually dying in Guantánamo Bay", the British Government must act immediately to secure Shaker's release back to the UK without any further delay. The alternative, namely inaction, could mean sentencing Shaker to a slow lingering death.

What follows is an excerpt from the letter by Clive Stafford Smith of Reprieve to William Hague in regards to the condition of his client, and British Resident, Shaker Aamer:

'Mr Aamer has now been held in isolation for more than two years. The US authorities may quibble about the term "isolation" (they have been known to do so in the past), but nothing can change the fact that Mr Aamer has been held in a solitary cell for that time, and much more over the past ten years. He has been thus punished because he continues to insist on the most basic elements of justice: that he be given a fair trial.

He has listed for counsel the following physical ailments that currently afflict him:

• Arthritis in the knees and fingers, stemming from his abuse in custody;
• Serious asthma problems (exacerbated, almost to the point of asphyxiation, when the US military sprays him with pepper spray during their periodic forcible cell extractions, or FCEs);
• Heartburn and acid reflux exacerbated by the diet;
• Prostate pain, with serious problems with urination;
• Problems with his ears, including the loss of balance and dizziness;
• Neck, shoulder and back pain resulting from the beatings that he has suffered;
• Serious infection of his nails;
• Ring worm and itchiness between his legs;
• Constant haemorrhoids and rectal pain;
• Extreme Kidney pain.

He also complains of E-N-T [Ear, Nose and Throat] problems, serious insomnia, nerve problems in his right leg, and so forth. I can directly attest to these various problems. For example, if the US insists that his food is of good quality, I can tell you that I tasted the lunch that he was given yesterday and it was revolting. I observed the infection of his left thumb, his right thumb, and his right index and middle finger nails, and it is like nothing I have seen before, rendering the nail soft and crumbling off the digit.

I do not think it is stretching matters to say that he is gradually dying in Guantánamo Bay.'

Actions Required:

• Write to the Foreign Secretary William Hague, advising him that urgent action by the British government is required to facilitate the immediate removal of Shaker Aamer from Guantánamo Bay and return him to Britain.
• Write to the Prime Minister David Cameron, discussing the above.
• Write to your MP discussing the above, informing them of your disgust with US government's detention and treatment of British Resident Shaker Aamer.
• Write to President Barack Obama
• Write to Clive Stafford Smith and/or Reprieve, or the Shaker Aamer Campaign letting them know that you are aware of their case and efforts and are interested in helping however you can.
• Write to Shaker Aamer and let him know you are aware of his condition and that he and his family remain in your Du'a and that he is not alone or forgotten.

Request that the British Government:

• Demand the US Administration immediately arrange the release of Shaker Aamer and arrange his return to Britain.
• Immediately arrange for a British medical team to be sent to Guantánamo to thoroughly assess Shaker's state of health and well being for travel back to the Britain.
• Press the Defence Secretary Leon Panetta to provide the US with certification that Britain is a 'safe place' for Shaker to be returned to and that security concerns are not an issue.
• Make a clear public statement to the media reaffirming their commitment to securing Shaker's release and return to Britain and that it is totally unacceptable for the US to continue to imprison Shaker Aamer at the Guantánamo Bay Concentration Camp.

Key Contacts:

Prime Minister David Cameron:

Standard Post:

Prime Minister David Cameron
10 Downing Street,
London SW1A 2AG
United Kingdom

Email: Contact Number 10

Foreign Secretary William Hague:

Standard Post:

Foreign Secretary William Hague
King Charles Street,
London SW1A 2AH
United Kingdom

 Email: private.office@fco.gov.uk

Jane Ellison MP (Battersea):

Standard Post:

Jane Ellison MP (Battersea)
House of Commons
Westminster,
London SW1A 0AA
United Kingdom

 Email: jane.ellison.mp@parliament.uk

President Barack Obama:

Standard Post:

President Barack Obama,
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC
USA

 Email: White House Online Contact Form

Sample Letter:

Dear [Recipent's Name Here],

Clive Stafford Smith of Reprieve saw Shaker on November 17th. He states that Shaker is gradually dying in Guantanamo and Clive fears for his life. Shaker needs vital medical treatment but the most urgent action is that the UK Government immediately demands his release to the UK to end years of horrible abuse by the US Government before it is all too late to save him.

Shaker is suffering from arthritis, serious asthma, heartburn,acid reflux,prostate pain, problem with his ears, dizziness and problems with balance, neck and shoulder pain,ringworm,haemorrhoids, kidney pain and untreated serious and painful infection of his finger nails. These conditions have been caused by years of physical attacks by the guards, by the harshness of the prison regime and by neglect.

Shaker is still in held in solitary confinement – this time has been for the last two years. He is being denied association with others to cruelly add to his suffering.

I am outraged that such shameful inhumanity has been inflicted on Shaker – held for ten years without charge.

I URGE YOU TO DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND RETURN OF SHAKER AAMER. END THE TORTURE OF A BRITISH RESIDENT-CLEARED FOR RELEASE SINCE 2007.

Yours sincerely,
[Your Name]

While a sample letter has been included as a model and for your convenience please know that a personal letter always carries more weight, please write your own personalised letter based upon the above points and information when possible.

You can also show your Solidarity with Your Brother & let him know he has your Support by writing him at:

Shaker Aamer
ISN US9SA-000239DP
Camp Delta, U.S. Naval Station
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba PO Box 160
Washington, D.C. 20053
USA

For further information, please visit the Save Shaker Aamer Campaign web site or visit the official Facebook page, as well as the Reprieve website.

 

And do not forget him & his family in your dua.

 

 

 

 

 

Surah Isra 17 verse 80 Say: "O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honor and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honor; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me)." 

Ameen.

 

Transliteration :Wa qur rabbi adkhilni mudkhala sidqiw wa akhrijni mukhraja sidqiw wa-j'al li mil ladunka sulta_nan nasira_(n).

Al-Tirmidhi HadithHadith 2482 Narrated by AbuHurayrah  (May Allah be pleased with him)
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) used to say, " O Allah, grant me benefit in what Thou hast taught me, teach me what will benefit me, and increase my knowledge. Praise be to Allah in all circumstances. I seek refuge in Allah from the state of those who go to Hell."
Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted it, Tirmidhi saying this is a tradition whose isnad is gharib.

 

Transliteration:an Abi Hurairah (radiya Allahu anhu) qaal:
qaala Rasul Allah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam): "Allahumma infa'ni bima 'allamtani, wa allimni maa yanfa'oni wa zidni 'ilman, alhamdulillahi alaa kolli haal, wa a'odtho billahi min haali ahlil naar."