Yemeni government refuses to meet Gitmo detainees’ lawyers [Archives:2007/1054/Front Page]
Nisreen Shadad
SANA'A, May 27 ) “Where's my father?” These are the words with which Abdullah Ismail Al-Raymi began his remarks, causing most attendees to shed tears at a press conference regarding defending Yemeni Guantanamo detainees' rights and releasing them.
The detainees' families and sons came to contribute to the press conference. Attending with his mother and little brother, fifth-grader Al-Raymi noted, “Today was the last day of examinations, so I came after I finished my exam.
“After several days, my exam results will come, but who will sign it? Who will carry me on his shoulders cheerfully? Dad, I miss you. I'd like to show you my diary and my accomplishments. I go to sleep with the hope of meeting you. I'm waiting for you, Dad, to awaken me,” Al-Raymi said.
He continued, “I demand President Saleh, all human rights organizations, fathers, mothers and all children whose fathers remain behind the bars of oppression to stand tall together and not neglect to do so after this conference is over and we return home.”
A delegation of 14 volunteer lawyers representing Yemeni detainees at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, traveled to Yemen to meet with President Ali Abdullah Saleh and relieve the worries of the detainees' families last Sunday. However, the refusal of security and government officials to meet with them made the chance to release the detainees more complex.
All European detainees at Guantanamo have been released, as have most detainees from other countries, while only eight Yemeni detainees have been released. Yemenis comprise the highest number of detainees, at a third of those remaining.
Martha Payner, an associate clinical law professor at Lincoln Square Legal Service representing four Gitmo detainees, two of which are Yemenis, observed, “Several weeks ago, President Saleh traveled to the U.S. to meet with President [George W.] Bush; however, the issues they discussed weren't made known to the media or to public opinion in America.
When Saleh returned to Yemen, it was reported in the Yemen Observer that he yearned for the Yemeni detainees' return. He also indicated that he asked Bush during his visit to return the Yemeni detainees.”
In contrast, Bush remarked that detainees remain at the Guantanamo detention center because their governments are unwilling to receive them, naming Yemen as one such government. According to Payner, “Since Guantanamo Bay, Bush has been blaming others via his political lies.”
Saleh's remarks encouraged the lawyers because it is a support for them; however, it remains words without action. “The main reason such a high number of Yemeni detainees remain at Guantanamo is due to lack of government support. We need the Yemeni government to push the U.S. government and then, consequently, most of them will be released,” attorney Karma Brown observed.
Most of the legal delegation will return to the U.S. on Monday, while the remainder will continue attempting to meet with President Saleh. “We tried to meet with the Minister of Interior, but he refused. We then attempted to obtain an appointment with those in charge of Political Security, as well as National Security, but our attempts were in vain,” Payner noted. However, she thanked the nine Yemeni parliamentarians who met with the group and assisted them to keep working to meet the president.
Payner commented that she'd like to meet with him in order to deliver a message from the father of one the detainees, who said to tell the Yemeni president that “My son is yours.” She hopes each detainee's father, mother, children or wives can deliver their messages directly to the one responsible for his nation.
The delegation's sole mission was to refute President Bush's lie regarding the Yemeni government. Not only is the U.S. government in charge of the tragedy at Guantanamo, the Yemeni government also must make the required efforts to release Yemeni citizens or guarantee a fair trail for them according to international laws.
Sakher Al-Wajeeh, a Member of Parliament and head of Yemeni Parliamentarians Against Corruption, called upon all of his fellow colleagues to bear the responsibility to seriously and continuously demand the Yemeni government perform its legal and constitutional duty toward the detainees. Al-Wajeeh further demands the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to close Guantanamo Bay, which is considered a black mark on the history of the U.S.
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