The following is a letter from one of our clients who was released from Guantanamo after 12 years of detention and abuse:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dear friends,<\/em><\/p>
I was released from the most notorious prison on earth \u2013 Guantanamo Bay. Now I am back to being just an ordinary man, and not a prisoner number.<\/em><\/p>
I have to admit in the first months of freedom I felt overwhelmed. I wasn\u2019t used to everyday things like cars and one day not long after my release I got hit by one. I was not badly injured but the traffic here is chaotic and I had forgotten how to negotiate all the hustle and bustle.<\/em><\/p>
Perhaps you can\u2019t imagine how good it feels to be ordinary, to begin to do the things I had dreamt of for many years. There was so much I wanted to do and at first I did not know where to start. But I have been lucky. I live in a centre run by a small charity alongside other young people who have had a tough start in life. Thanks to them I began studying.<\/em><\/p>
I completed a course in office skills and even came top of my class in one of the modules. I love working on computers. The teachers also helped me prepare for interviews. Of course I was nervous but I must have managed not to show it too badly as I got offered an apprenticeship. I like the work, I like learning all these new things and I like dressing up smart to go to the office. I\u2019m trying to get back my \u2018classic\u2019 style!<\/em><\/p>