By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 10th December 2006
A Guantanamo Bay detainee has appealed to his lawyers for pictures of his family after guards there confiscated the ones he had.
Lawyers of 32-year-old Juma Al Dossary, who is being held in isolation at the prison camp’s mental health unit, said that he had not received any letters from home since his father died in June.
He is trying to remain calm despite becoming increasingly concerned about his incarceration, say the lawyers.
Legal team head Joshua Colangelo-Bryan and his colleagues visited Mr Al Dossary and the other remaining Bahraini detainee Isa Al Murbati last month.
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 10th December 2006
A Guantanamo Bay detainee has appealed to his lawyers for pictures of his family after guards there confiscated the ones he had.
Lawyers of 32-year-old Juma Al Dossary, who is being held in isolation at the prison camp’s mental health unit, said that he had not received any letters from home since his father died in June.
He is trying to remain calm despite becoming increasingly concerned about his incarceration, say the lawyers.
Legal team head Joshua Colangelo-Bryan and his colleagues visited Mr Al Dossary and the other remaining Bahraini detainee Isa Al Murbati last month.
“Juma asked that we send the photographs again so that he can have a reminder of home,” he said.
“He told us that he has not been given any letters from home since his father passed away and he hopes that he is still in people’s prayers.
“He said that it is upsetting to deal with the guards and he is trying to stay calm and peaceful while he remains at Guantanamo.”
Mr Al Dossary is reportedly suffering from a variety of health problems and according to the US military he had tried to kill himself 13 times.
Mr Al Murbati is being held in Camp 1, allegedly the highest security section at the prison, after being forced off a hunger strike last December.
Both are approaching their fifth year without charge or trial.
“Juma despaired that he has now spent nearly five years in Cuba,” said Mr Colangelo-Bryan.
“He spoke sadly about the fact that his daughter is growing up without him.
“He talked of how he was not able to see his father before his death.
“He noted that his sister was married without him being at the ceremony and that this was first time anyone in his family had been married without the whole family being there.”
Mr Colangelo-Bryan says both men were happy to know that Salah Al Blooshi was released from custody and returned home in October and asked about his well-being.
“Of course, while feeling joy for Salah’s return, Juma and Isa remain very concerned about their own situation, which has not changed at all,” he told the GDN.
“We tried to remind Juma and Isa that people in Bahrain are working hard for their release.”
Three other Bahrainis, Adel Kamel Hajee, Abdulla Al Nuaimi and Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, were released from Guantanamo last November.
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