Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Man held at Guantánamo for 13 years a case of mistaken identity, say officials

No one should be surprised that this miscarriage of justice should take place, especially involving prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.  2/3 of those incarcerated there have been cleared for release as there is no evidence that any of them were involved in terrorist activities.  Many of those imprisoned  at Guantanamo Bay ended up there because bounties placed on any person whom American authorities believed to be associated were any terrorist group.  Others were victims of extraordinary rendition a policy enacted by the Bush administration.  After arriving at Cuban prison many were tortured even though it's against the law.

A man who has spent 13 years in the US prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, was arrested partly in a case of mistaken identity, US officials conceded Tuesday.
Officials admitted that Mustafa al-Aziz al-Shamiri, 37, was a low-level Islamist foot soldier and not an al-Qaida courier and trainer as previously thought, during a Guantanamo hearing.
Wearing a beard and voluminous white T-shirt, and accompanied by a linguist and two personal representatives, the Yemeni appeared before a panel assessing whether he can be released.
A profile published by the Department of Defense maintains he fought in Afghanistan and mixed with members of al-Qaida. But officials concede that they wrongly believed he had a more significant role because he was confused with others who had a similar name.

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