2,234 days, in jail, tortured and without trial. And the saga continues. In the next few days, the United States is expected to deliver a death penalty verdict for twenty-nine year old British national and current Guantanamo Bay detainee, Binyam Mohamed.
Mr. Mohamed maintains his innocence. The US government disagrees. It believes he trained alongside shoe bomber Richard Reid in Afghanistan. But while spending 550 days in a Moroccan torture chamber at the behest of the CIA, Mr. Mohamed, like most any other person, reached a breaking point.
"They cut all over my body, including my private parts, saying it was better to just cut it off as I would only breed terrorists. This went on for weeks everyday," he told the Independent.
This was followed by 150 days in the infamous Dark Prison of Kabul. More torture, both mental and physical. No tangible evidence is available. Instead, the American military tribunal will rely on “confessions” produced under torture.
Washington has ignored Britain's repeated request to release Mr. Mohamed. But Britain's compliance to the Americans is partly to blame. The UK Government, while requesting his release, is also withholding evidence that supposedly incriminates Mr. Mohamed. In the meantime, Mr. Mohamed is suing the UK Government to have the evidence presented at the US military tribunal.
Request denied. The UK Government wants nothing to do with him fearing it will disclose their co-operation with the secret US rendition program. Mr. Mohamed will have to face a trial proceeding that makes a mockery of international laws and human rights. For one, his defending lawyer is appointed by the US military. Second, the judge will accept evidence collected through torture.
