by Jess Bauldry

But resettling a detainee on foreign soil is not as simple as just providing citizenship.

Former detainee Moazzam Begg, who is also director of campaign group Cage prisoners, supporting former Guantanamo detainees, was involved in negotiations with Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn.

Finding normality

He explained that there were a number of factors in helping a former detainee settle back into normal life after suffering up to eight years’ of “abuse” and trauma in Guantanamo Bay.

Allowing them to live with their family in the host country was a major factor, as was raising awareness about their experiences and providing trauma counselling and language lessons.

Begg said: “In Ireland there was a case where they took the detainee’s family over for them. That’s a great factor in helping settle in. 

“In fact Ireland has a very successful integration programme. The country resettled a couple of Uzbecks in a region that not only campaigned to have them released but also had significant muslim communities where they could feel welcome and familiar.

“The important thing is not to put them into a place where they would be isolated from everyone, because they may be a so-called “security threat”.

Security threat

“Security” and “threat” are words, which have been bandied around a lot during the last few days, mainly by conservative party the Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR).

Mr Asselborn stressed that the humanitarian issue was more pressing than security fears, saying: “For years now innocent people have been held at Guantanamo, people who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. It has been proved that increasing numbers of people detained there were innocent. The camp must therefore be closed as quickly as possible, as it gives a bad impression of both the US and of the western world."

Begg recalls Mr Asselborn mentioned security concerns when they met in February this year. He said: “It’s interesting that people are concerned about security. 

“So far more than 50 prisoners have been resettled in Europe and there have been no problems. The only problems they experience are from the suffering that was inflicted upon them in Guantanamo. 

“I remember sitting with the ADR party, a number of which were against the idea. But any fears were allayed when I explained that they had taken refugees in the past and they had posed no security threat.

“Former detainees clearly want to move on and in fact those who have resettled in Europe have set up an initiative where they meet and tour with former Guantanamo Bay prison guards. This offers a way to help them recover and shows that they do not pose a security risk. “

Decent lives

Begg explained that all former detainees in Europe had returned to “decent lives”.  Of those in the UK, he said all but one had jobs; three became plumbers, four work for human rights organisations, one started his own business and one returned to university to finish his studies. 

He said: “Guys who have been resettled elsewhere may still be finding their feet. For those in Slovakia, who don’t speak the language, it’s a longer process. They are already learning Slovakian as a part of the integration process. “

Ironically, it is their knowledge of the English language, which many of them mastered while in Guantanamo Bay, which is helping them resettle more easily in host countries.

Why Luxembourg?

According to the former detainee turned campaigner, Luxembourg is an ideal host country to resettle a former detainee.

“I had never been to Luxembourg before my visit earlier this year. As a foreign-looking person, I didn’t feel out of place there. 

“The make-up of the Luxembourg population, being almost 50% immigrants, means that the country already has a mix of nationalities and cultures. English is widely spoken there too, which I think will help individuals settle in there,” he said, adding: “Luxembourg also has a history of dealing with refugees from war zones like Bosnia. And I would imagine it will work very closely with Amnesty international, which is well versed in dealing with people who have suffered abuse and trauma.”

Source: News 352 (Luxembourg)