Britons furious over continued detention of Aamer in Guantanamo Bay
Several British lawmakers and celebrities have called for immediate release of the last British national held at the notorious US military prison in Guantanamo Bay.
The US must honor its commitment to release Shaker Aamer within 10 days or face an angry backlash, MPs and supporters said Thursday.
The warning came as campaigners gathered to encourage people to go on 24-hour relay hunger strike to support Aamer.
"If he's not on a plane back here on the 25th, there will be an almighty outcry." Andy Worthington, co-director of the We Stand With Shaker campaign, told the event. "He's fearful that he won't live to see his family again".
The Obama administration announced last month that Aamer would be freed after nearly 14 years in the US custody. That indicated that October 25 will be the earliest date the British inmate could be reunited with his wife and four children in London. So far, there has been no information from Washington about concrete arrangements for returning Aamer to his family.
John McDonnell, finance spokesman for the opposition Labour party and a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, said there would be an uproar if Aamer was not back in Britain soon.
"I think we'll have all the leaders of the political parties recommitting themselves to putting as much pressure on the Obama administration as possible," McDonnell, who has long campaigned for Aamer's release, said.
The Saudi-born British citizen was captured by US forces in Tora Bora in eastern Afghanistan back in 2001. He is alleged to have been a key recruiter and financier for the al-Qaeda and purportedly worked for Osama bin Laden. But Aamer has categorically denied all charges saying he was detained while working for an Islamic charity.
Last week, Aamer announced a fresh hunger strike over his continued torture and abuse by American prison guards at Guantanamo. He told his lawyer that Americans would have to take full responsibility for his death.
Rights activists say the reason Aamer has been held for so long is because he may have witnessed torture of other inmates at Guantanamo.
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