Sami al-Hajj’s 5th Year In Guantanamo

by Drima on June 14, 2006

I just watched a one hour documentary on Al-Jazeera about Sami Muhy al-Din al-Hajj, a Sudanese national who was arrested by the US military while working for Al-Jazeera during the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The documentary was about his ordeal in Gitmo and the harsh treatment he received there. By harsh treatment I obviously mean torture. This is an article in Arabic from yesterday detailing what he had to go through in Gitmo and this one is from last year in English.

Aljazeera.net spoke to al-Hajj’s lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, regarding his case and the prospects for his release.

He said al-Hajj had suffered extreme physical and sexual abuse and religious persecution.

“Guantanamo is a PR disaster. It is one of the most iconic symbols of hypocrisy in the world. It is just incredible how the US has squandered all the goodwill it had after the 11 September attacks,” the lawyer said.

“The Americans have tried to make him an informant with the goal of getting him to say that Aljazeera is linked to al-Qaida.

“He is completely innocent. He is about as much of a terrorist as my granddad. The only reason he has been treated like he has is because he is an Aljazeera journalist,” Stafford-Smith said.

So! Does the fact that this was released by Al-Jazeera mean it’s false and mere propaganda or a much unfortunate truth?

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The Sudanese Thinker » “NOT a fan of double standards within America’s foreign policy”: 09.15.06 at 4:27 pm

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1 Anonymous 06.14.06 at 11:11 am: Al Qaeda’s training manual teaches it’s followers to allege abuse even where none exists.
This is just a continuation.
He was picked up in Afghanistan with members of Al Qaeda.
Somalia is now being run by Islamist extremists. There is no country to turn him over to.
Letting him go, is akin to returning him back to the field of battle.
It’s not going to happen. The Red Cross has access to Guantanamo Bay and monitors the situation.
By the way, the detainees picked up in Canada for terrorist activities are now alleging abuse by Canadian officials, should we just close Canada?
t
2 Tsedek 06.14.06 at 4:57 pm: I don’t really believe this lawyer. I think the international public eye is that much on Gitmo that it won’t get itself into acts of torture etc.

Tse.
3 Andrew Brehm 06.15.06 at 2:48 am: “Does the fact that this was released by Al-Jazeera mean it’s false and mere propaganda or a much unfortunate truth?”

No. But the fact that this guy’s lawyer says so even though the Red Cross have apparently not noticed any of that should make one suspicious. Al-Jazeera merely reports what the lawyer says. I don’t blame them here.

I think we would know more had the UN not refused to visit the camp.
4 Anonymous 06.15.06 at 5:08 am: Andrew,
The NY Times ran an op piece yesterday from a man in France who was imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay alleging torture. He of course claimed his innocence saying he thought he was going to his “dream vacation,” when he was taken to an al qaeda training camp. He will be standing trial in France. The whole piece was very moving
HOWEVER
what the Times failed to say, is this whole guys family was involved in terrorism. His father, a radical cleric in France had been convicted, as well as his mother, his brother and his half-brother. All convicted in France with nothing to do with the US.
Why would you run a piece making this guy seem as an innocent victim without giving your readers the necessary insight to make an informed determination? I understand Al Jazeera doing it but why are so many supporting the propaganda?
Al Qaeda is in an all out attack on us to release their fighters, so they can return back to the fight.
t
5 FREE SAMI 05.14.07 at 4:18 pm: http://www.myspace.com/prisoner345