So who will speak for these detainees, their wives and their children? Who will talk about them? Who will argue their case for the sake of justice and humanity? Who? I appeal and plead to your consciences, your human souls and compassionate hearts. I leave it to you. May God bless you all.
It has been exactly 796 days since the famous Imam of Europe, Sheikh Bassam Ayachi, and our brother Abdel Raouf (Raphael Gendron) are behind bars whilst the world ignores their fate.
I feel good because even though they are outside, they are caged by their desires whilst I believe freedom is freedom of the soul and the minds thoughts, and Im still resisting!
This is a letter intended for the closest ones in my family, my friends, my acquaintances, people who followed my case and supported me through their letters and prayers and anyone else who have taken an interest in my case or followed it in the media.
Tunisia is now in the grip of a protest movement that is sweeping across the country and threatening not only that particular despotic regime, but also those in the immediate area.Like a wild sandstorm this is spreading through the Maghreb, and shows no signs of abating.
Imagine if you had arranged for a short holiday to escape the drudgery of unemployment on the recommendation of a friend, getting a cheap bus ticket and looking forward to some time away. Imagine then if you are seized from the bus once it crossed the border, violently interrogated, shipped off to a destination thousands of miles away, subjected to horrendous abuse. This is Khaled el Masris story.
Hasna Ali is a 29 year old Yemeni national who is currently imprisoned in Iraq together with her 3 young children. Her “crime” was to be married to an individual alleged to be affiliated to a militant organisation. She has not had any formal charges nor legal representation. Despite all of this, she faces the death penalty imminently in a clear abuse of basic rights.
It has been reported that on Tuesday 12th January Shaikh Abu Hamza was physically attacked by up to ten guards at Belmarsh Prison. It is alleged that this was after he refused to return to his cell having been victimised over a series of months culminating in the events on Tuesday evening. It is stated that he was beaten and kicked by prison officers, leaving him with bruising and abrasions.
Mohammed Saleh is 54 years old, originally from Palestine however has been a US citizen for many years. In 1993, in a case which many have forgotten but had huge overtures for how muslims would be treated in the US Justice System, he was convicted of “seditious conspiracy”. He is currently serving a 35 year sentence.
Radi El Ayashi is 40 years old, and originally from Egypt. He was convicted in 2006 of terrorism offences in Italy and is currently serving 10 years. In July 2010, he was viciously assaulted by guards at Macomer prison, Italy, after protesting the conditions of his incarceration. Details have been mentioned in a letter which is translated from Italian.
