This myspace account is run to spread the word about Omar and has the permission of his family. Omar is cut off from the outside world in Gitmo so obviously doesn't have internet access
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Omar's Story
I am one of the British residents still imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay. The British government have thus far used the excuse that as a refugee, I hold only UK residence status (not full citizenship) to deny all responsibility for me. If I were given citizenship by the Home Office then I would be automatically released into UK custody following an agreement reached between America and Britain.
My family and I fled Libya for the UK in 1986 six years after my father, a democrat and trade unionist, was assassinated by Colonel Gaddafi's regime. We settled just outside Brighton, assuming we would be safe and never experience state terror again. We were wrong.
In 2001 after studying law at university, like most UK graduates I wanted to explore the world a bit, having been working hard to become a human rights lawyer. I travelled with a friend to Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and eventually to Afghanistan. There I met and married my wife, and had a son who is now walkng and talking. He does not know me, nor I him.
When war broke out after 9/11, I moved my family from Afghanistan to Pakistan, fearing for their safety. After months travelling through lawlass and dangerous mountains we finally reached what we though was the safety of Pakistan, but shortly after we were all kidnapped by bounty-hunters and sold to the Americans for $5000USD along with my wife and young son (both were later released) and taken to Bagram. It made me think of a Nazi prison camp. Later, they sent me to Guantánamo.
My application for British Citizenship was being processed at the time of my post-university holiday, and British officials had told me it would be no problem to complete the process when I returned, as only a rubber-stamping interview was required. I was travelling on official British papers when kidnapped by bounty hunters, and was still recognised as a UK resident (not citizen).
All UK citizens jailed in Guantánamo were returned to the UK (and released without charge) after pressure from campaigners forced the UK govt to make political appeals to the White House. All 9 British Citizen's were innocent victims of the US War on Terror, and were released without charge as soon as they returned home. That is a 100% record of imprisoning innocent Brits without charge for 3 years. It doesn't take a mathematician to work out that the British Residents still held are innocent too.
As a UK resident (not citizen), I've have been denied the chance for freedom on a technicality of UK passport law. Britain says Citizens are its responsibility, not residents. The UK says it is up to the Libyan Govt that assassinated my father to appeal for my release. Ironically, the Home Office has said that because I have been out of the country for over 2 years I have lost my right to claim citizenship, which, after a lengthy application process, I was 1 interview away from completing. Obviously this is ridiculous piece of bureaucratic doublethink, as I have been kidnapped and held illegally in Guantanamo for this whole time.
The US authorities have allowed Gaddafi's Libyan interrogators to interview me. They threatened me, saying, "In here I cannot do anything, but if I meet you [later] I will kill you, if you don't kill me."
The only "evidence" the Americans claim to have against me is a video, allegedly showing me with Islamists. However experts have confirmed what is seemingly apparent; that the person in the video isn't me.
I'm a trained human rights lawyer, and have therefore been very active in opposing the daily brutalities suffered by inmates of Guantanamo. This has led to me being singled out for much rough treatment. On one occasion, guards attacked me with pepper spray, rubbing the chemical in my eyes, so that I am now completely blinded in one eye.
Along with over 200 other Gitmo prisoners I went on hunger strike in August 2004. Our only demand was that we were given a fair trial. When the US thought we would die, and make them look bad, they began to strap us into chairs for several hours at a time, like in that film A Clockwork Orange and force-fed us though thick hard tubes which they fed into our stomachs, via our noses. Not only is this humiliating and degrading it's extremly painful and illegal under international law. British hunger stikers in the 1970s died from being force-fed like we were being. I hear they gave a medal to Edmundsen, the top doctor at Gitmo. He should be in jail.
www.reprieve.org.uk/Briefing_Report_on_Guantanamo_Bay_hunger
_strike_26.01.06.htm
It would be easy for me to prove my innocence if there were any due legal process in this legal limbo into which I am cast, but sadly, there is none
When I was just a child, I was fortunate enough that the UK offered me safety from political persecution. I went through school and uni, and was looking forward to returning to England to be with my mother, sister and brothers, and starting my life with my new wife and child. All this has been taken away from me. For What? Please Write to the UK Home Secretary, and to Tony Blair and ask them to fulfill the promise they made to me when they promised to look after me all those years ago.
The Save Omar Deghayes petition may be signed by clicking on the link below: www.gopetition.com/online/7331.html
To find out more info about who I am and why I desperately need your help go to: www.save-omar.org.uk
To join the Save Omar Yahoo group, which will keep you up to date with developments, send a blank email to [email protected].
This myspace account is maintained by the Save Omar campaign to raise awareness about Omar. Please spread the word and bulliten all your friends to add Omar to their myspace accounts
