Gitmo detainee arrives in Saudi after six gruelling years
Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter
Six years is a long time. For Juma Mohammed Abdul Latif Al Dossary, a detainee in Guantanamo Bay, it is all over. He is a free man at last, one of 16 Saudi nationals released yesterday by US authorities.
The brother of the detainee, Khalid Al Dossary could not control his emotions as he spoke with this reporter over the phone.
He said: “It’s a good feeling to see your loved ones after six years. We never knew that a phone call from the Saudi Interior Ministry would bring us joy. The officer said that Juma is on board the plane with other detainees released by the US authorities.
Gitmo detainee arrives in Saudi after six gruelling years
Sandeep Singh Grewal
Staff Reporter
Six years is a long time. For Juma Mohammed Abdul Latif Al Dossary, a detainee in Guantanamo Bay, it is all over. He is a free man at last, one of 16 Saudi nationals released yesterday by US authorities.
The brother of the detainee, Khalid Al Dossary could not control his emotions as he spoke with this reporter over the phone.
He said: “It’s a good feeling to see your loved ones after six years. We never knew that a phone call from the Saudi Interior Ministry would bring us joy. The officer said that Juma is on board the plane with other detainees released by the US authorities.
We met Juma at the Riyadh jail. My brother, sister and mother met him. He is thin but still has his smile and sense of humour as he was joking with the family. We can take him home after three days and are eagerly waiting for his arrival.”
For Juma it has been a rough road which led him to 13 suicide attempts. Pushed to the psychological edge he was kept in solitary confinement and wrote a letter addressed to his lawyer stating that ‘Death is his greatest hope.’ The other Bahraini detainee, Isa Al Murbati is still in detention.
Juma had been allegedly linked with the Buffalo Six, a group of six Yemeni-Americans who were accused of providing material support to Al Qaeda.
Juma had told his lawyer Joshua Colangelo Bryan that he acquired a dangerous blood disease as a result of a blood transfusion, which followed, after his March 11, 2006, suicide attempt.
The Vice President of the now-defunct Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR), Nabeel Rajab, told the Bahrain Tribune: “Juma is in the Riyadh jail along with other detainees. We are glad that he is back with his family and this is a positive sign for the release of Isa Al Murbati who is still in detention. The authorities should give Juma the right to choose his residence between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. We will continue our struggle until Isa is released and the camp is shut down.”
It was a mixed feeling for the family of Al Murbati who were happy for the release of Juma but sad that Isa was not on that plane.
“We are happy for the family who has been waiting like us for more than five years now. I spoke with our lawyer Joshua recently and he said that Isa is fine.” said Umm Ali, Isa’s wife.
Al Dossary and Isa Al Murabati have completed more than five years at the “controversial” US Naval Base in the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The BCHR and other human rights organisations have been campaigning for years for the release of the two Bahraini detainees in Camp Delta.
MP Mohammed Khalid told the Tribune: “I have spoken with the family and they are happy. We are waiting for an official statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
Bahraini detiainees, Abdullah Majeed Al Nuaimi, Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa and Adel Kamel were released from Camp Delta in 2005. Last October, Salah Al Blooshi returned home.
The transfer brings the total number of Saudi detainees handed over by the US authorities to 77.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz commended the cooperation of the US authorities and said in a statement he hoped it would lead to the handing over of all Saudis remaining in Guantanamo Bay.