Freed Sudanese cameraman calls Gitmo history's worst jail

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080505/ap_on_re_af/sudan_guantanamo_journalist

KHARTOUM, Sudan - An Al-Jazeera cameraman released from the U.S.-run Guantanamo Bay detention center last week described it Monday as the worst prison mankind has ever seen.
 
Sami al-Haj, a Sudanese citizen, was whisked from his hospital bed in a convoy escorted by police cars with flashing lights and wailing sirens to an outdoor event in his neighborhood organized by his family. His speech was broadcast live on Sudanese television.

"After 2,340 days spent in the most heinous prison mankind has ever known, we are honored to be here. Thank you, and thank all those defended us and of our right in freedom," he told the cheering crowd.

Al-Haj was the only journalist from a major international news organization held at Guantanamo and many of his supporters saw his detention as punishment for an Arabic television channel whose broadcasts angered U.S. officials.

The U.S. military charged he was a courier for a militant Muslim organization, an allegation his lawyers denied.

Al-Haj said he believed he was arrested because of U.S. hostility toward Al-Jazeera and because the media was reporting on U.S. rights violations in Afghanistan.

"I was subjected to 130 (interrogation) sessions, more than 35 about Al-Jazeera, and they wanted me to be a spy against Al-Jazeera," he said. He said that as a faithful Muslim, he rejected the offer.

Al-Haj, who arrived in Khartoum early Friday aboard a U.S. military plane, thanked the Sudanese people and their warm reception, which he said had made him "forget the long bitter years that we spent in humiliation, injustice and subjugation and oppression."

Before Monday's outdoor welcome ceremony, al-Haj received visitors in his hospital room, including dozens of senior Sudanese officials who wished him a speedy recovery.

Though able to walk a short distance at the event in his neighborhood, al-Haj was still weak after a 16-month hunger strike at Guantanamo.

His attorney, Zachary Katznelson, who met with al-Haj at the U.S. base April 11, said he was emaciated because of the hunger strike. He said al-Haj had been having problems with his liver and kidneys and had blood in his urine.

Al-Haj was never prosecuted so the U.S did not make public its full allegations against him. But in a hearing that classified the cameraman as an enemy combatant, U.S. officials alleged that in the 1990s, al-Haj was an executive assistant at a Qatar-based beverage company that provided support to Muslim fighters in Bosnia and Chechnya.

Two other Sudanese detainees at Guantanamo were released with al-Haj.

 

[gunit_sangh]

Cheney/bush responds:


SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

look over there ... terra terra terra ... big bad brown boogie man.

pee your pants everyone ... we're keeping ya safe (except for the innocents thrown into our prisons)

[gorknoids]

All of the scumbags who orchestrated the bombing of USS Cole have been released by their raghead sympathizers.  No wonder your hero is pissed off.  If he'd have been in a muslim slammer, he'd have been free before the ink was dry on his induction paperwork.
     Screw a bunch of muslim vermin. 

[Peter1469]

How many prisons has this guy been in?    I wonder if he would like to try Pelican Bay next time?  <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/iYwiEhAXC9E" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/iYwiEhAXC9E</a>  At least he would have something in common with the prisoners there.  He is innocent too. 

[Helsetemp]

Video: Surgical Scars on "Americans' " Occipital Lobe
http://limitedliabilitytrust.com/ScarVideoIcon.jpg

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/SiqlpK6Lq-4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/SiqlpK6Lq-4</a>

Video: Surgical Scars Appearing on "Americans' " Occipital Lobe

"The occipital lobe is the visual processing center of the mammalian brain,
containing most of the anatomical region of the visual cortex." Wykepedia.

[gunit_sangh]

All of the scumbags who orchestrated the bombing of USS Cole have been released by their raghead sympathizers.  No wonder your hero is pissed off.  If he'd have been in a muslim slammer, he'd have been free before the ink was dry on his induction paperwork.
     Screw a bunch of muslim vermin. 

don't know which *hero* you're talking about.

dear leader has never cared about the attack on the Cole. The final report declaring aq was responsible for the attack was delivered in early Feb 2001 ... and dear leader/cheney said

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

and then rescind the Clinton order preventing an oil/gas pipeline being built from the Black Sea, thru Afghanistan to the deep water ports in Pakistan.

And then, as we all know (but conservatives go ballistic when reminded of) dear leader ignored warning, after warning, after warning, after warning, after warning, after warning that a terrorist attack was imminent and finally did something after 3000 americans were killed.

heckuva job georgie
 

[gorknoids]

All of the scumbags who orchestrated the bombing of USS Cole have been released by their raghead sympathizers.  No wonder your hero is pissed off.  If he'd have been in a muslim slammer, he'd have been free before the ink was dry on his induction paperwork.
     Screw a bunch of muslim vermin. 

don't know which *hero* you're talking about.

dear leader has never cared about the attack on the Cole. The final report declaring aq was responsible for the attack was delivered in early Feb 2001 ... and dear leader/cheney said

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

and then rescind the Clinton order preventing an oil/gas pipeline being built from the Black Sea, thru Afghanistan to the deep water ports in Pakistan.

And then, as we all know (but conservatives go ballistic when reminded of) dear leader ignored warning, after warning, after warning, after warning, after warning, after warning that a terrorist attack was imminent and finally did something after 3000 americans were killed.

heckuva job georgie
 

     That's not what the 9/11 Commission Report said.  It said that the Clinton administration set up firewalls to keep the various agencies form sharing information.  Not too far before that, it said that Clinton had multiple opportunities to either kill or capture bin Laden, but he did neither.  As far as your spurious allegations of warning after warning after warning after warning, the much-pampered Dick Clarke sure as hell wasn't at Boston Logan that morning.  Why was that?  Because there was no warning. 
   Well, there WAS the previous WTC bombing, but we all know how well that was handled.  Heckuva job, Co-Presidents!

     Yes, I DO own a "Club Gitmo" tee-shirt.  The criminals sent there never even imagined how good life could be, and to think that they are complaining flies in the face of reality.  America should be billing the turds for their one brief vacation in paradise.

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

I just found this article humorous given the viciousness of the Islamic regime in Sudan.

The average IQ in Sudan is 72. No wonder they can get away with this crap.

[gorknoids]

Perhaps he meant "worst" in that it was so luxurious (Compared to what the guilty bastard is used to living in) that it would actually motivate cavemen into vying for an opportunity to live there.  Jails aren't supposed to be nicer than your home.

[scarlett]

I just found this article humorous given the viciousness of the Islamic regime in Sudan.

The average IQ in Sudan is 72. No wonder they can get away with this crap.

I agree 100%!! 

[Vermouth]

The average IQ in Sudan is 72. No wonder they can get away with this crap.

Someone went around administering IQ tests to an illiterate, nomadic population? What was the IQ of that guy?

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

The average IQ in Sudan is 72. No wonder they can get away with this crap.

Someone went around administering IQ tests to an illiterate, nomadic population? What was the IQ of that guy?

Such tests and studies have been done on most of the world's nations and territories.

[Vermouth]

Someone went around administering IQ tests to an illiterate, nomadic population? What was the IQ of that guy?

Such tests and studies have been done on most of the world's nations and territories.

Really? What does the test consist of?

[Peter1469]

Someone went around administering IQ tests to an illiterate, nomadic population? What was the IQ of that guy?

Such tests and studies have been done on most of the world's nations and territories.

Really? What does the test consist of?

Where those tests done in the 1930s? 

[Mr. Dirlewanger]

Someone went around administering IQ tests to an illiterate, nomadic population? What was the IQ of that guy?

Such tests and studies have been done on most of the world's nations and territories.

Really? What does the test consist of?

Where those tests done in the 1930s? 

I'm not sure what they consist of.

No, they weren't conducted in the 1930s. but I'm not surprised that the mere suggestion of a correlation between IQ and wealth (not to mention race) would elicit such a response.

Guys, I know it's not fair and it runs contrary to decades of egalitarian propaganda but buck up....MR. D is here to help.