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Ahmed Errachidi |
Free chef, MP urges Pres. Bush
Man held at Guantanamo is innocent says MP Emily
ISLINGTON MP Emily Thornberry has appealed to President George Bush to intervene in the case of a Holloway chef who has been held as a terror suspect in the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp in Cuba for six years without trial or charges.
She hopes the US president will step in to ensure Ahmed Errachidi, a Moroccan manic depressive who has been in US custody since 2001, comes home to his beloved flat in Russet Crescent.
Ms Thornberry, Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, wrote to Mr Bush, urging him to free Mr Errachidi, a 41-year-old father-of-two, without delay.
Her letter said: “I hope I can have your assurance that my constituent Mr Errachidi will also be returned to the UK without delay. I call upon you to ensure my constituent is released.”
Mr Errachidi was captured by the Americans in 2001 after visiting Afghanistan.
The Americans claimed he had been training in terror camps, was an al-Qaeda member and was using his knowledge to fight US troops. His lawyers, however, dismiss these claims as “risible”.
But Mr Errachidi he claims he was helping women and children injured by US bombs in wake of the September 11 attacks.
He was seized after re-entering Pakistan, where he says he had initially travelled to buy silver.
Mr Errachidi says he was going to re-sell the silver in order to pay for a heart operation for his sick son at home in Morocco.
He is adamant it was his duty as a Muslim to help women and children in Afghanistan but vehemently denies training in camps or being involved in fighting.
He was arrested by the Pakistani security service, handed over the Americans and taken to Guantanamo Bay.
The list of allegations against him include that he had visited training camps in Afghanistan in July 2001.
But his solicitors have wage slips, seen by the Tribune, from the Westbury Hotel in Victoria, where he worked, proving he was employed there at the time.
Human rights lawyer Chris Chang has also tracked down former colleagues of Mr Errachidi who back his story.
Since being at Guantanamo, he has been labelled ‘The General’ and accused of being an al-Qaeda lynchpin.
Outspoken Mr Errachidi was also placed in solitary confinement for three years – the longest of any ‘enemy combatant’ at the prison camp – which has exacerbated his bi-polar illness.
Mr Chang says the list of allegations against Mr Errachidi are risible and the American army lawyers have given no evidence to back up the charges.
His firm, Reprieve, are represented in the US by veteran human rights lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith.
The problem lies in Mr Errachidi’s legal status in the UK. He came to Britain 18 years ago and is classified as a resident, but not as a citizen.
It emerged this month that the chef has been “designated for the release” since February but the US authorities at dragging their heels.
Mr Chang said: “We received a message from Washington in February that he’s been designated for release but we have not been given any other information.
“We are totally being kept in the dark. I think it’s going to happen but it’s about working out the terms of his release.”
If and when Mr Errachidi is released, it is unclear if he will be made to return home to Morocco or allowed to come back to Britain.
Ms Thornberry said the letter to President Bush is the first of many to high-powered figures in his administration.
She will also be lobbying on behalf of dozens of other British citizens held at Guantanamo and has already contacted the Home Office and Foreign Office. |
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