{"id":12410,"date":"2018-02-16T10:27:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-16T10:27:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reprieve.org.uk\/?post_type=update&p=12410"},"modified":"2020-05-28T15:43:59","modified_gmt":"2020-05-28T15:43:59","slug":"free-man-cage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reprieve.org\/uk\/2018\/02\/16\/free-man-cage\/","title":{"rendered":"Free man in a cage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guant\u00e1namo Bay was supposed to be America\u2019s answer to global terrorism, the end of the line for the \u2018worst of the worst\u2019. But Abdul Latif is there because of something much more mundane \u2013 bureaucratic delay.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What got Abdul Latif, and many others, to Guant\u00e1namo in the first place was also less sensational than Guant\u00e1namo\u2019s mission or Trump\u2019s tweets might suggest. It was money. Abdul Latif was not captured on any kind of battlefield. He was sold to the US for a price \u2013 $5,000. That money made someone rich and made little difference to America\u2019s purse, but condemned Abdul Latif to an ordeal that is ongoing 14 years after it began in May 2002.<\/p>\n

Abdul Latif\u2019s Reprieve attorney describes him as kind hearted and intelligent. He\u2019s introspective. He likes to think and learn. He spoke no English when he arrived at Guant\u00e1namo, but is now fluent. He became famous across the prison base for writing his own 2,000-word English-to-Arabic dictionary.<\/p>\n

In July 2016 Abdul Latif had a Periodic Review Board hearing \u2013 his chance for freedom. He told the Board he wished to return to Morocco, to be with his family and begin a new life. He wanted to pursue a career in computer science. His family said they would financially support him and Reprieve\u2019s Life After Guant\u00e1namo team would be there to help.<\/p>\n

The decision was unanimous \u2013 Abdul Latif was approved for transfer on July 11th, 2016.<\/p>\n

By January 18, 2017, this free man was still in his cage. The Moroccan government had agreed to the transfer but took too long to respond with the official paperwork. Two days to go until Trump took office. Everyone knew what that meant.<\/p>\n

Abdul Latif\u2019s attorneys filed emergency legal action. Congress needed 30 days\u2019 notice for transfers out of Guant\u00e1namo, but that could be waved for this kind of emergency. On January 19, the court ruled that Abdul Latif has no legal right to be released, because a win at the Periodic Review Board is merely \u2018advisory\u2019.<\/p>\n

Later that day, Reprieve wrote an urgent letter to President Obama, asking him to withdraw opposition and to transfer Abdul Latif home to Morocco immediately. The White House never responded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guantanamo Bay was supposed to be the end of the line for the \u2018worst of the worst\u2019. 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