Take Action for AHMED BELBACHA – let him return to the UK

In August 2007, Gordon Brown’s government decided to allow FIVE men being held at the US-run Guantánamo Bay detention camp to return to the UK. All of these men have close links to the UK – having lived here for extended periods or as they have British families. While this is a welcome move by the British government, one man was significantly missed off the list: Ahmed Belbacha, a 36 year old Algerian national.

Ahmed was cleared for release by the Pentagon in February 2007 and is deemed to pose no threat by the US authorities but has since been left languishing in Guantánamo Bay for the best part of this year for want of a country to claim him.

Ahmed cannot return to his native Algeria as he fled the country after threats were made to his life by Islamists and is likely to face further persecution by the government if he is returned having been tarnished by unfounded claims of being an “enemy combatant”.

Ahmed’s claim for asylum in the UK was being appealed in 2001 when he was kidnapped and turned over to the US military in Pakistan. He should be allowed to return to the UK, where he had lived, in Bournemouth, for over two and a half years.

The US authorities are currently trying to return him to Algeria where his life will be in danger. His lawyers are currently appealing to the US courts to block his return there.

Take action – write to the Foreign Secretary David Miliband to ask him to write to Condoleezza Rice to request Ahmed Belbacha’s return to the UK (cut and paste the following letter, print it and post it or email it to  milibandd@parliament.uk. This letter may also be sent to Jacqui Smith ( smithjj@parliament.uk), the Home Secretary. Feel free to edit the content.

Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP
Foreign Secretary,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office,
King Charles St,
London SW1A 2AH


Dear Mr. Miliband,

I am writing to you concerning the plight of Ahmed Belbacha, who is currently being held at Guantánamo Bay.

Ahmed Belbacha is a 36 year old Algerian who fled to the UK in July 2000 and claimed asylum. Before fleeing Algeria he had been targeted by the GIA because he was an employee of the state-run Sonatrach Petroleum Company. His application for asylum was refused by the Home Office on the routine Home Office grounds for refusal that the GIA was not a force in the whole country so it was said that Ahmed could safely live elsewhere within Algeria. Unfortunately by the time of the hearing of his appeal in December 2001, Ahmed had already been kidnapped in Pakistan and was on his way to Guantánamo Bay, where he has been ever since. Consequently his appeal was heard in his absence and was denied on 2 January 2002.

Despite being deemed by the Military Annual Review Board in Guantánamo Bay in February 2007 not to pose a threat to the US and her allies and hence cleared for release, he remains detained at GTMO as he was not included in the list of former British residents whose return to this country you requested in August of this year.

As the US has publicly stated that its policy is to return cleared detainees to their country of nationality, Ahmed faces the real prospect of being returned to Algeria where his life will be in grave danger; particularly following the suspicion that must now attract to him as a person who at one point was deemed by the US military to be an ‘enemy combatant’.

The only humane course open is for you to allow Ahmed to return to the UK and give him an opportunity to pursue his application for asylum. This is a matter of natural justice.

I look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

Also write to your MP (contact details at www.theyworkforyou.com) and ask them to contact and bring pressure to bear on the Foreign Secretary concerning Ahmed Belbacha on your behalf.

House of Commons
London, SW1A 0AA


Dear

I am writing to you as my Constituency MP, to express my concerns about the plight of Ahmed Belbacha, who is being held at Guantánamo Bay. I would appreciate a reply to my letter.

Ahmed Belbacha is a 36 year old Algerian who fled to the UK in July 2000 and claimed asylum. Before fleeing Algeria he had been targeted by the GIA because he was an employee of the state-run Sonatrach Petroleum Company. His application for asylum was refused by the Home Office on the routine Home Office grounds for refusal that the GIA was not a force in the whole country so it was said that Ahmed could safely live elsewhere within Algeria. Unfortunately by the time of the hearing of his appeal in December 2001, Ahmed had already been kidnapped in Pakistan and was on his way to Guantánamo Bay, where he has been ever since. Consequently his appeal was heard in his absence and was denied on 2 January 2002.

Despite being deemed by the Military Annual Review Board in Guantánamo Bay in February 2007 not to pose a threat to the US and her allies and hence cleared for release, he remains detained at GTMO as Ahmed was not included in the list of former British residents whose return to this country was requested by the Foreign Secretary in August of this year.

As the US has publicly stated that its policy is to return cleared detainees to their country of nationality, Ahmed faces the real prospect of being returned to Algeria where his life will be in grave danger; particularly following the suspicion that must now attract to him as a person who at one point was deemed by the US military to be an ‘enemy combatant’.

The only humane course open to the British Government is to allow Ahmed to return to the UK and give him an opportunity to pursue his application for asylum. This is a matter of natural justice.

I am writing to ask you to bring pressure to bear upon the Government to take a moral stance, by extending their efforts on behalf of Ahmed Belbacha to allow him to return to this country and pursue his claim for asylum.

I ask you to pass my concerns about this to the Foreign Secretary, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

London Guantánamo Campaign
15 October 2007