HOME | IMC UK | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Support Us

SouthCoast Indymedia

Justice demanded as Binyam turns 30

IMCista | 23.07.2008 08:34 | Guantánamo | Terror War | London | South Coast

Protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Thursday, 24th July, to hold a 'Birthday Party' for Britain's last Guantamo Detainee, Binyam Mohamed [Reports and pics 1 | 2 | 3]. The event was the culmination of a week long vigil which took place outside the US Embassy.

Previous reports: Binyam faces death penalty | Brown urged to act | Binyam sues British Govt. | New report details torture | Reprieve: 'Bring Binyam back' | Guantanamo's last Londoner
Previous actions: London: 1 | 2 | 3 | Sheffield | Nottingham

Other links: Cageprisoners | The National Guantanamo Coalition | Reprieve | Andy Worthington

Binyam Mohamed
Binyam Mohamed


Binyam Mohamed is a 29-year old Ethiopian national who came to the UK in 1994 as an asylum seeker. He lived and worked in west London for over 7 years. While travelling in South Asia in 2002, Binyam was kidnapped in Pakistan and handed over by the Pakistani military, who were selling foreign nationals at the time for $5000, to the American military, in whose hands he has been ever since. A victim of the “extraordinary rendition” programme, Binyam was taken to Morocco for 18 months where he was tortured horrendously, including having a scalpel used to make incisions on his penis to force confessions from him. He was then “rendered” to the notorious “Dark Prison” in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he was held for several months before being transferred to Guantánamo Bay in September 2004 where he has been held ever since.

Binyam, who faces a military tribunal at Guantanamo, is reported to be suicidal and on a hunger strike, after being left to his fate by the British state. His military counsel, Lieutenant-Colonel Yvonne Bradley has said: "I cannot pretend that the US military commissions are fair, but how can we possibly hope to help Mr Mohamed if his own Government leaves him to his fate?"

Throughout this year, a number of actions have taken place calling for justice for Binyam.

Although the British Government did finally request the release of Binyam in August 2007, his imprisonment continues. In a letter to PM Gordon Brown in May of this year, Binyam wrote:

"Before the intervention of your government to help me, I was more resigned to my fate, to be held forever without a fair trial. When your government intervened I had hope. But it has been a cruel hope. Nine months later I am still here, no closer to home, still in this terrible prison."

When I learned that my Moroccan torturers were using information supplied by British intelligence, I felt deeply betrayed. When I learned that your government’s lawyers (the Treasury Solicitors) had told my lawyers they had no duty to help prove my innocence, or even that I had been tortured, I felt betrayed again.

IMCista

Additions

6 Days for 6 Years vigil still going strong...

24.07.2008 07:00






The "Six Days for Six Years" vigil, to mark symbolically each year Binyam Mohamed has been held illegally with one 24 hour day outside the US Embassy, has entered its final day and is still going strong. The LGC has managed to maintained a continued presence outside the Embassy since 6pm on Friday 18 July. We will be leaving the American Embassy at 5pm today to go to Downing Street, where we will be holding a birthday party/demo for Binyam, who is 30 today. The American and British governments (as well as the Pakistani and Moroccan govts) are responsible for his ordeal and must take action to end it.

The response from the public, who mostly know nothing about Binyam, is overall positive, however there are unfortunately still large pockets of planet Earth's apparently "educated" population who've never heard of "justice", a "fair trial" or being "innocent until proven guilty" (in a fair trial and through due process) before. With usually anything between two to almost a dozen people at the vigil, it has been a success overall and the American Embassy has not been wholly content with our presence outside. However, our demands are quite simple: end the kangaroo court system and release Binyam. The "evidence" against him was procured through torture and after six years of detention with trial, he is more than unlikely to get a fair trial now and potentially faces the death penalty.

Please join us on the last day of this peaceful and unique vigil in the glorious summer sunshine or at the Happy Birthday Binyam! demo at 6pm opposite Downing Street.

Many thanks to the folks at We Are Change UK, Peace and Justice in East London, Brighton Against Guantanamo, CAMPACC and the many great individuals who've supported this action for justice.

London Guantánamo Campaign
mail e-mail: london.gtmo@googlemail.com
- Homepage: http://www.guantanamo.org.uk


Comments

Display the following comment

  1. An update on Binyam's judicial review — Andy Worthington

Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

-->

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

South Coast [navigation.actions2016]

South Coast [navigation.actions2015]

South Coast [navigation.actions2014]

NATO 2014

South Coast Actions 2013

G8 2013

South Coast Actions 2012

Workfare

South Coast Actions 2011

2011 Census Resistance
August Riots
Dale Farm
J30 Strike
Occupy Everywhere

South Coast Actions 2010

Flotilla to Gaza
Mayday 2010
Tar Sands

South Coast Actions 2009

COP15 Climate Summit 2009
G20 London Summit
Guantánamo
Indymedia Server Seizure
University Occupations for Gaza

South Coast Actions 2008

2008 Days Of Action For Autonomous Spaces
Campaign against Carmel-Agrexco
Climate Camp 2008
G8 Japan 2008
SHAC
Smash EDO
Stop Sequani Animal Testing
Stop the BNP's Red White and Blue festival

South Coast Actions 2007

Climate Camp 2007
DSEi 2007
G8 Germany 2007
Mayday 2007
No Border Camp 2007

South Coast Actions 2006

April 2006 No Borders Days of Action
Art and Activism Caravan 2006
Climate Camp 2006
Faslane
French CPE uprising 2006
G8 Russia 2006
Lebanon War 2006
March 18 Anti War Protest
Mayday 2006
Oaxaca Uprising
Refugee Week 2006
Rossport Solidarity
SOCPA
Transnational Day of Action Against Migration Controls
WSF 2006

South Coast Actions 2005

DSEi 2005
G8 2005
WTO Hong Kong 2005

South Coast Actions 2004

European Social Forum
FBI Server Seizure
May Day 2004
Venezuela

South Coast Actions 2003

Bush 2003
DSEi 2003
Evian G8
May Day 2003
No War F15
Saloniki Prisoner Support
Thessaloniki EU
WSIS 2003

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech