Nightmare over: New Malden Man Freed From Guantanamo Bay

After over four years of campaigning for the release of Bisher Al-Rawi from Guantanamo Bay, local MP Edward Davey has expressed his delight at the news today that Bisher will be coming home within in the next few days.

Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, has been a vocal campaigner for the release of Bisher Al – Rawi since his arrest in the Gambia in November 2002. Most recently, Edward Davey secured a Parliamentary Debate on 8th January 2007 to demand further action from the Government and has liaised with British Embassy officials in Washington negotiating for Bisher’s release with the Pentagon. He commented:

“I am relieved that the nightmare for Bisher and his family is finally over.

“Bisher will have been in prison for nearly five years, without charge or trial, against all the rules of natural justice and against all the legal traditions of the United States

“From the start, I could not know whether Bisher was innocent or guilty and it was simply a matter of asking questions. Yet gradually it became clear he had not committed any terrorist activity and that whether or not he was guilty of a lesser offence, it was outrageous that he was being denied a trial.

“Everything I’ve learnt from his family, his lawyers, UK Government officials, journalists and even the US authorities, actually tells me that Bisher is not and has never been a threat to national or international security. His case should be a lesson to everyone that when you ignore the due process of law, injustice follows.

“I hope he and his family can now be left to rebuild their lives after this harrowing ordeal.”

Notes to Editors

1. Bisher al-Rawi was arrested on a business trip to the Gambia in November 2002 following information from British Authorities. Bisher al-Rawi had been working as a go–between helping MI5 on gaining information regarding radical cleric Abu Qatada. He was held in the notorious Dark Prison in Kabul and at Bagram airbase before being transported to Guantanamo Bay Detainment Camp, where Bisher has been held for over 4 years.

2. 8th January Edward Davey MP demanded the Government return Bisher Al-Rawi Home