Moazzam Begg a Political Prisoner Again By Craig Murray

February 26, 2014Leave a comment

26 February 2014 — Craig Murray

I first met Moazzam Begg in 2005 when he came to support my campaign in Blackburn against Jack Straw. I was immediately struck by how gentle he is. For somebody who has been through Guantanamo Bay and suffered torture and injustice, he is free of bitterness and rancour to a degree I find quite astonishing. It is an extraordinary spiritual quality, comparable to that of Nelson Mandela. He does not hate. That impression has only been reinforced every time I see him, and comes over well in his book.

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Q&A with Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes, Andy Worthington and Polly Nash

January 1, 2010Leave a comment

1 January 2010 — Dandelion Salad – www.andyworthington.co.uk

On October 21, at the launch of the new documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington) at the Cochrane Theatre in London. Spectacle, the production company, filmed the Q&A session following the screening, in which Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes, Andy Worthington and Polly Nash took questions from the large and well-informed audience. The Q&A session, which lasted for about an hour, is available via YouTube in nine parts, which are available below.

In the first part, following introductions, Moazzam talked about the difficulties facing prisoners released from Guantánamo, and Omar talked about the most vulnerable prisoners in Guantánamo: those from countries, including Libya, who cannot be repatriated because of fears that they will be tortured on their return. Omar also spoke about the aims of the Guantánamo Justice Centre, launched in August, which hopes to provide support and legal assistance for released prisoners around the world.

Parts 2 – 9: Video: Q&A with Moazzam Begg, Omar Deghayes, Andy Worthington and Polly Nash at the Launch of “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo”

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UK Judge Approves Use of Secret Evidence in Guantánamo Case by Andy Worthington

November 20, 2009Leave a comment

19 November, 2009 — Dandelion Salad – www.andyworthington.co.uk

Those of us who have been aware that the principles of open justice in the UK are being threatened in an unprecedented manner have, to date, focused largely on the use of secret evidence in cases related to terrorism — widely ignored by the general public, and by much of the media — and on the use of ‘super-injunctions,’ which recently broke into the mainstream with the Twitter-storm over the Trafigura case.

The use of secret evidence in cases related to terrorism involves prisoners held on control orders (a form of house arrest), or imprisoned on deportation bail, who are assigned special advocates to speak on their behalf in closed sessions of the Special Immigrations Appeal Court (SIAC), but who are then prohibited from speaking to the special advocates about what took place in these closed sessions. This regime is now under threat, after the Law Lords ruled in June that imposing control orders breaches Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial, because a suspect held under a control order is not given ‘sufficient information about the allegations against him to enable him to give effective instructions to the special advocate assigned to him.’

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Former CIA Detainee Moazzem Begg Testifies at War Crimes Tribunal

October 30, 2009Leave a comment

30 October, 2009 — Mathaba.net

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Mathaba) – In a very compelling and eloquent testimony in answer to questions by Commission members of the War Crimes Tribunal which is taking place here.

After years of isolation and unjust imprisonment in Afghanistan and Guantanamo by the U.S. and British intelligence agencies and military, the testimony of Moazzam Begg, a young British Asian Muslim, is almost a miracle, given his sanity and eloquence after his ordeals, which is a testimony to his strength of character and faith.

He gave very detailed testimonies which are clear to observers and psychologists, can only be born of truth and a willingness to answer all questions and give testimony in complete openness and honesty. He said that seeking justice is something everybody wants.

In Britain, Mr Begg has a case against the British intelligence for violation of his human rights. He said that places such as this commission, are the only places that the victims of torture and extraordinary rendition have as recourse and that this offers hope of justice for those victims.

Judges of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal who will hear the cases that pass the commission of inquiry, are Dato’ Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, a retired Malaysian Federal Court judge, Tunku Sofiah Jewa, Mr Francis A. Boyle, Prof. Salleh Buang, Prof. Niloufer Bhagwat, Mr Alfred L Webre and Prof. Emeritus Datuk Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi.

The Commission Deliberations which opened this morning will include testimonies of 7 witnesses and is to continue all day today. Tomorrow October 31st the Hearing of Application for an Advisory Opinion is to be filed by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission.

In testimonies given by Moazzam Begg it is clear that British Intelligence were heavily involved in the interrogation of prisoners and abductees, including at Guantanemo Bay, the U.S. base in U.S. occupied Cuban territory.

He said that he can produce for the Commission details of his case against the British government, in answer to a question about the involvement of the British in the horrific human rights abuses that took place in U.S. custody.

92% of people captured were not involved with Taliban or Al-Qaidah or any battle field, 2% were accused to have something to do with Al-Qaidah and 8% involvement with the Taliban. The vast majority of the 92% were handed over as a result of people wanting to claim the bounties offered by the U.S. for any foreigners given to them within Afghanistan.”