On January 11th on the 10th. anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo, folks from Veterans for Peace, No Borders, Harringey Solidarity Group and Giuseppe Conlon Catholic Worker House gathered in our neighborhood of Harringey, London to the demand the immediate closure of Guantanamo and other U.S. gulags. More pics here.
Our gathering included three former prisoners and a British veteran of the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. We made a specific call for the release of Londoner Shaker Aamer.
Shaker Aamer was cleared for release by the US military in 2007. He claims to have been tortured repeatedly during his time in US custody, on one occasion in the presence of a British intelligence agent. He has a British wife and four children living in Battersea, south London. He has never met his youngest son, who is almost 10 years old. Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown sought his release in August 2007, along with four other residents held at Guantanamo Bay, the last of whom was released in February 2009. His lawyer, Clive Stafford-Smith, has recently expressed grave concerns for his physical and mental health due to prolonged arbitrary detention. More info here