Solidarity fast for Britain's last Gitmo prisoner maintains pressure

Twenty-four hour fasts have been undertaken by supporters of Shaker Aamer, the last British detainee held at Guantanamo Bay, to raise awareness of his plight and maintain the pressure on the US government to ensure his release, which is due on Saturday, October 24.

At the US government's military prison in Cuba, Aamer has been subjected to torture and abuse, against which the prisoner has protested by going on hunger strike.

Aamer's supporters hope their fluid-only fasts will encourage the prisoner to give up his own hunger strike.

Shaker Aamer has been held extra-judicially at Guantanamo since 2002, without trial or charge, after first being imprisoned at the notorious Bagram military base in Afghanistan in 2001. He has spent long periods in solitary confinement and has been deprived the opportunity to meet the youngest of his four children, who was born after his capture and rendition.

Despite being cleared for release by President Bush in 2007 and President Obama in 2009, the 48-year-old has yet to enjoy freedom. Supporters of the prisoner are waiting to see if the latest official confirmation of his release will come to fruition.

Right-wing US senators are seeking to ensure that none of Guantanamo's 122 remaining detainees are released and proposed changes to the law this autumn mean that it could be now or never for Aamer.

The prisoner himself has expressed doubt that he will be freed, tellinghis lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith: "I know there are people who, even now, are working hard to keep me here."

Aamer claims to have witnessed the torture of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi, who provided false information which was then used by President Bush to argue his case for war against Iraq. Aamer also states that British agents were present in Bagram at the time.

Securing the release of a Guantanamo prisoner requires the agreement of six separate US agencies, including the FBI and CIA.

After Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly raised the issue with Obama on a state visit, the president vowed to pursue the matter - but there was little progress, despite the fact that 15 UK prisoners had previously been released from the facility.

Frustrated, a cross-party delegation from the UK parliament travelled to Washington in May to argue that the US was acting with indifferencetowards the demands and concerns of her closest European ally. They called the affair "a slap in the face for America's staunchest friend".

The delegation to Washington was made up of two senior Conservative MPs, David Davis and Andrew Mitchell, along with Labour's Jeremy Corbyn and Andy Slaughter.

Mitchell described the trip as "successful" and said the MPs had been "outspoken" in their meetings with senators and Obama administration officials. He stated that it was "important that he speaks out" about Aamer's treatment, in order to expose the fact that the US is operating outside of the law at Guantanamo.

Activists have upped the ante online, with a new website and the #FastForShaker hashtag to encourage participation and solidarity.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is one of the politicians participating in the #FastForShaker campaign. He explainedthe idea behind the campaign: "The initiative was to put pressure on the government and we secured that the Prime Minister would raise Shaker's case with President Obama… In addition, we sent a cross-party delegation across to America and they met some senior American politicians and, I think, that helped to put additional pressure on the Obama administration, I think we are close to success".

And if Aamer is again denied freedom, the campaigns and lobbying will only intensify, McDonnell vowed.

"If Shaker is not released this time, there will be an outcry in the British parliament and there will be even more pressure on the British government," he said.


Tom Charles is a London-based writer, editor and literary agent. He previously worked in the UK parliament, including as a lobbyist for Palestinian rights. He has contributed to Jadaliyya and the Journal of Palestinian Refugee Studies.

Opinions expressed in this article remain those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of al-Araby al-Jadeed, its editorial board or staff.