Its official: Pakistan’s former military ruler is a fugitive
Written by CP Editor Thursday, 18 April 2013
Pakistan's farcical arrest warrant for Pervez Musharraf echoes a past laden with disappearance and torture that is about to catch up with him
European Court of Human Rights correct in blocking extradition
Written by CP Editor Tuesday, 16 April 2013
CagePrisoners welcomes the ruling by the European Court of Human Rights to block the extradition of Haroon Rashid Aswat.
All Candidates in Pakistani National Assembly Elections Should Step Aside and Support Dr Fauzia Siddiqui Against Parvez Musharraf
Written by CP Editor Monday, 08 April 2013
CagePrisoners has no political affiliations, but would urge all to step aside and show support for Dr Fauzia Siddiqui, the sister of Dr Aafia Siddiqui in the forthcoming elections in Pakistan.
PRESS RELEASE: Honouring the Forgotten Women of the War on Terror
Written by CP Editor Monday, 11 March 2013
08 March 2013
PRESS RELEASE: Honouring the Forgotten Women of the War on Terror
On the eve of International Women’s Day, CagePrisoners hosted an event to honour the forgotten women of the War on Terror – the wives and sisters of those men held in Guantanamo Bay, detained on control order/TPIMs, and subject to SIAC restrictions. The evening featured the voices of women who have been immediately affected and also the perspectives of the women who have provided support. At the event, CagePrisoners also celebrated Victoria Brittain’s new book, Shadow Lives. Her words give immense strength and dignity to the women who are oft-forgotten by all.
Josephine, wife of detainee G
Clip from BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour, 27 February 2013
About life under a control order: “When he was under house arrest for nine months, we were not allowed to have any visitors at all – even family, doctors, weren’t allowed to have nay landline number, mobile, internet... my husband was home twenty-four hours [per day], and he had a tag, and these nine months were very terrible. My husband felt very upset and hopeless because when he was in prison, at least he could speak with people for one hour, but now, he was even not allowed to go into the back garden, if he waved to someone or spoke to someone he would break his condition and go back to prison...”
About her husband’s exoneration after twelve years: “They came and they took off his tag, after all this time... I don’t know, we just couldn’t believe it. We were happy and shocked at the same time. We just went to a restaurant and we stayed outside very late, past eleven o’clock. And last week, I don’t know if you remember, but it was freezing cold. He just said that, ‘now we can go where we want, past curfew time’ so he just stayed outside...”
Irene Nembhard, Solicitor, Birnberg Peirce
Reading from Shadow Lives about the challenges faced by Mariam Abu Ali, whose brother Ahmed is serving life without parole in solitary confinement in Florence, Colorado:
“I think about Mariam... Having a brother go through all this must be specially painful. In fact, I think of my own brothers, and I just can’t begin to imagine how it would be. It is different with your father, all of your life you know he can handle anything, but a brother, how could it be... bearable?”
“It’s not like a death, you don’t grieve, and then finish, because this is not in the past, in fact it’s not even in the back of my mind – it is always there... this is chronic, after nine years, and it is not going to end.”
Khateeba Chechi, Support Worker
“These women take their burdens with courage, strength and dignity, whilst most of us would have crumbled.”
"As a mother, I'll never want my daughters to be forgotten, no matter what the circumstances.”
"Did these women need me? Or did I need them?"
Aisha Maniar, Human Rights Campaigner, London Guantanamo Campaign
"I don't like the word suffering, I don't like victimisation. I believe in empowerment of these women."
"If you don't take positive action you're perpetuating the problem."
“The most common thing I hear about is isolation, the feeling of being on their own, that no one cares.”
Liz Fekete, Executive Director, Institute of Race Relations
“Let's celebrate International Women's Day. These women's lives are a mirror of the society we live in.”
"Why aren't other women's groups focusing on the forgotten women of the War on Terror, today on International Women’s Day?”
“There's a constant media onslaught against Muslims and it is deeply worrying, we need to challenge it.”
"This notion that you cannot be a non religious person, and have a friend who's religious... This is one of the most horrible ideas... We are all human. These notions come from the enemy images created by the War on Terror.”
Victoria Brittain, author, Shadow Lives: The Forgotten Women of the War on Terror
"I feel incredible honoured that the women I got to know have made these journeys here today."
“How do these women stay sane? Here is what one person said to me – ‘Allah will not give me more pain than I can bear’. They are role models to us all.”
"Why should the women who are affected be exhibited at meetings, to tell us what they're suffering? It's our responsibility to end our sickness in society.”
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Note:
CagePrisoners is human rights NGO that exists to raise awareness of the plight of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other detainees held as part of the War on Terror. We aim to give a voice to the voiceless.
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Web: www.cageprisoners.com
CagePrisoners has been alerted that detainees at Guantanamo Bay have launched a mass hunger strike to protest against their arbitrary and illegal detention as well as against a new aggressive guard force.
Netherlands follows dangerous UK extradition precedent
Written by Administrator Thursday, 28 February 2013
CagePrisoners strongly condemns the decision made on 26/03/2013 by a Dutch court permitting the extradition of Sabir K. to the US.
PRESS RELEASE: Ménad Benchellali, cleared of Tunisian terrorism charges and released
Written by CP Editor Friday, 25 January 2013
Nearly a year after his arrest, a Tunisian court found Ménad Benchellali not-guilty of terrorism related allegations. As a result, he was immediately released and can now be reunited with his family.
CagePrisoners congratulates the family of Ménad Benchellali and calls on the Tunisian Ministry of Justice to look at similar cases with the same spirit.
Research Director of CagePrisoners, Asim Qureshi, said of the verdict,
“We welcome the release of Ménad Benchellali; especially since there was a concern that Ben Ali’s misuse of anti-terrorism legislation and abuses against detainees were being, to an extent, reproduced after the revolution. It is important that the Tunisian authorities continue on the path to end arbitrary detention and prisoner mistreatment.”
NOTES:
1. CagePrisoners is a human rights NGO that exists to raise awareness of the plight of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and other detainees held as part of the War on Terror. We aim to give a voice to the voiceless.
2. To learn more about the case of Ménad Benchellali please visit click here