MP welcomes home his constituent from Guantanamo
after a 4 year long campaign

Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, and the constituency MP for Bisher Al-Rawi backed in Britain this weekend after over 4 years in Guantanamo, said that Bisher’s return was “fantastic” and commented:

“This has been the toughest imaginable campaign but getting Bisher home, back to his family, is just fantastic.

“There were many, many months of despair punctured by a few false dawns. Yet the sense that a huge injustice was being done kept the family and the team of campaigners together.

“Like Bisher, I’d like to pay special tribute to Mark Jennings, who began campaigning for Bisher as my caseworker, but went on to devote what turned out to be the rest of his own life fighting for Bisher’s release.

“Like Bisher again, my thoughts are with the other British residents, especially Jamil El Banna, his close friend. While I do not know their cases, it should alarm everyone that none has yet faced a trial despite over four years of imprisonment.

“I strongly believe the British Government has a moral duty to make representations for the remaining British residents. Bisher was the first resident to be released, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of UK officials in the Washington Embassy.

“It’s now time for Tony Blair and the British Government to ask UK officials to negotiate the return of the others. Otherwise, British Government claims that they want Guantanamo Bay close are as hollow in fact as they have always sounded.”