Urgent - demonstration today for Jamil El-Banna returned from GTMO last night

London Guantanamo Campaign | 20.12.2007 09:07 | Anti-militarism | Terror War | London

Today, at 10am, Jamil El-Banna will face a hearing on his deportation to Spain at City of Westminister Magistrates' Court, 70 Horseferry Road, London, SW1X (nearest tube: St James Park).

Omar Deghayes, Jamil El-Banna and Abdel Nour Sameur returned to the United Kingdom last night. While this should have been good news and the three men should have returned to their families to finish celebrating the Islamic festival of Eid together, they were instead taken to Paddington Green Police Station (Omar and Abdel Nour) and Luton Police Station (Jamil El-Banna) where they were questioned all night. Omar Deghayes and Abdel Nour Sameur were arrested under the Terrorism Act and Jamil El-Banna was arrested on a European deportation warrant request by Spain. It is unknown as to whether they have had any contact with their families.

Their lawyers and in the case of Jamil El-Banna, his MP, have been working frantically all night. Today, at 10am, Jamil El-Banna will face a hearing on his deportation to Spain at City of Westminister Magistrates' Court, 70 Horseferry Road, London, SW1X (nearest tube: St James Park). His lawyers are urging supporters to come and show their support for Jamil and his family. It is unlikely that supporters will be able to access the public gallery due to the huge media interest. Please attend if you can.

His lawyer, Gareth Peirce, from Birnberg Peirce is also asking for people to act as sureties if Jamil El-Banna can be released under bail (he has not seen his family in over five years or his five year old daughter at all). If you are able to, please contact the London Guantanamo Campaign

london_gitmo@yahoo.co.uk or Birnberg Peirce Solicitors.

Regardless of claims by certain political parties in this country that these are "dangerous" men, no such evidence has been adduced after 5-6 years of detention and interrogation at Guantanamo Bay and NO CHARGES were ever brought against any of these men nor were they captured in Afghanistan.

Please join the demonstration today if you can - sorry for the short notice!

London Guantanamo Campaign
e-mail: london_gitmo@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.guantanamo.org.uk

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Should be no problem

20.12.2007 09:47

The supporters of these individuals havve been telling us that they are innocent wanting only an opportunity to have their day in court. Clearly the police are facilitating that desire, they have been arrested, they will be charged with terrorist offences, the evidence can be tested in court.

If they are as innocent as they say there should be no problem and they can provide simple clear reasons why they were in terrorist training camps in Afghanistan when they were captured.

Mike

Guantanamo 3 released

20.12.2007 20:18

Thank you to everyone who turned up at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court today to show their support for Jamil El-Banna, Omar Deghayes and their families. They very much appreciated the support. Rather than standing outside in the cold, supporters either attended the hearings in the public gallery or outside the courtroom.

Jamil El-Banna's hearing was held first. Starting at 11.30am, allegations of membership of an Al-Qaeda cell in Spain and funding of terrorist groups were made against him by lawyers acting on behalf of the Spanish government. An extradition hearing will be held for Jamil and Omar on 9 January. After some debate as to whether or not to grant bail, the judge agreed to bail of £50,000 and a curfew, monitored by an electronic tag. Jamil El-Banna left the court in the afternoon and returned home to Dollis Hill to meet his five children, including the four year old daughter he met today for the first time.

Omar Deghayes’ hearing was delayed until 4pm and similar charges were made against him (as well as the previous allegations against him already debunked in a BBC report). His bail was also set at £50,000. Mr Deghayes is also currently on his way home.

Abdel Nour Sameur was released without charge this afternoon from Paddington Green Police Station.

The London Guantánamo Campaign welcomes their return to the UK and hopes that Jamil and Omar’s return will not be a temporary respite for them and their families and will support efforts to block their extradition to Spain to answer spurious allegations. What should have been a happy homecoming on a religious holiday was turned into a stressful and agonising 24 hours for the men, their families and their supporters. The decision to detain them and proceed almost immediately with deportation proceedings to Spain for two of the former detainees merely adds insult to the injuries these men have faced at the hands of the British and American governments.

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The London Guantánamo Campaign is continuing with its weekly demonstrations outside the US Embassy in Mayfair to call on the US government to close the illegal torture camp every Friday evening at 6-7pm and is holding a day of events on 11 January 2008 to mark the sixth anniversary of the opening of the camp. Get in touch for more information or to get involved.

London Guantanamo Campaign
mail e-mail: london_gitmo@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage: http://www.guantanamo.org.uk