British anti-terrorism police are drawing up plans for the return to the UK of the remaining four Britons held as terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay.
Four Muslim men have spent up to three years imprisoned in tiny cages without charge or trial. They are expected to be released within days of their arrival back on British soil.
Yesterday was the third anniversary of the US taking prisoners to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba; they were branded as enemy combatants and accused of links to al-Qaeda. The detentions without any rights and persistent allegations of torture have caused anger around the world and tarnished the US' reputation.
British police have been put on standby to expect the return of the four Britons soon. A police source said the announcement of the return was expected "in weeks rather than months."
Last March five Britons were transferred by the US from Guantanamo Bay to the UK. After several days of questioning by anti-terrorism officers they were all freed without charge.
The source said the same was expected to happen this time, though there remained the slim possibility that during interviews admissions could be made that could lead to charges.
The four Britons include Feroz Abbasi, from Croydon, south London, and Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham. In July 2003 US President George W. Bush designated these two Britons to face military commissions, but the plan was abandoned after an outcry led to the British government condemning the US plans.
The other two detainees are Martin Mubanga, who was arrested in Zambia, and Richard Belmar from London.
Pentagon spokesman Major Michael Shavers declined to comment on any reports of an imminent release, but said: "We're regularly in negotiations with other governments, including the UK, about transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay. As in the past, if a transfer is made, we'll announce it once it is complete."
In October the Guardian revealed that the Pentagon offered to send the remaining Britons back home, to serve their sentences in the UK. It was an offer Britain rejected.
School bullies in Singapore are to face caning under new guidelines, but the education minister on Tuesday said it would be meted out only as a last resort with strict safeguards. Human rights groups regularly criticize Singapore for the use of corporal punishment, which remains part of the school and criminal justice systems, but authorities have defended it as a deterrent to crime and serious misconduct. Caning was discussed in the parliament after legislators asked how it would be used in relation to bullying in schools. The debate followed stricter guidelines on serious student misconduct, including bullying, unveiled by the Singaporean Ministry of
A MESSAGE: Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drills is a clear deterrence signal to China not to attack Taiwan while the US is busy in the Middle East, an analyst said The Japan Self-Defense Forces yesterday fired a Type 88 anti-ship missile during a joint maritime exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces, hitting a decommissioned Philippine Navy ship in waters facing the disputed South China Sea, in drills that underscore Tokyo’s rising willingness to project military power on China’s doorstep. The drill took place as Manila and Tokyo began talks on a potential defense equipment transfer, made possible by Japan’s decision to scrap restrictions on military exports. The discussions include the possible early transfer of Abukuma-class destroyers and TC-90 aircraft to the Philippines, Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. Philippine Secretary of
‘GROSS NEGLIGENCE?’ Despite a spleen typically being significantly smaller than a liver, the surgeon said he believed Bryan’s spleen was ‘double the size of what is normal’ A Florida surgeon who is facing criminal charges after allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen has said he is “forever traumatized” by that person’s death. In a deposition from November last year that was recently obtained by NBC, 44-year-old Thomas Shaknovsky described the death of 70-year-old William Bryan as an “incredibly unfortunate event that I regret deeply.” Bryan died after the botched surgery; and last month, a grand jury in Tallahassee indicted Shaknovsky on a charge of manslaughter. “I’m forever traumatized by it and hurt by it,” Shaknovsky added, also saying that wrong-site surgeries can happen “during
A South Korean judge who last week more than doubled former South Korean first lady Kim Keon-hee’s prison sentence was found dead yesterday, police said. Shin Jong-o was found unconscious at about 1am at the Seoul High Court building, an investigator at the Seocho District Police Station in Seoul said. Shin was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, he said. “There is no sign of foul play in the death,” the investigator added. Local media reported that Shin had left a suicide note, but the investigator said there was none. On Tuesday last week, Shin presided over 53-year-old Kim’s appeal trial, finding her guilty
RSS