It is a happy day for Shaker Aamer and his family, who has finally been released after being detained for 13 years in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
He had been held without trial at the US military camp for allegedly leading a Taliban unit and meeting Osama Bin Laden. He has claimed that he was tortured over the years, like many of the 19 other prisoners who were held with him. These are very serious claims that have yet to be confirmed by the US authorities, by they are certainly not being ignored.
Aamer has always claimed that he was merely doing charity work in Afghanistan, and Shadow Counsellor John McDonald has said that Aamer was “simply a man in the wrong place at the wrong time”. There are no witnesses to prove either side, but the US still felt the need to detain him for over a decade.
The US has made no further comments on his detainment or release, though everybody is wondering how true Aamer’s allegations are. Though no one can know for certain whether or not he was guilty, he has now returned to the UK, where he will be allowed to remain, as his wife and four children are British.
He has been welcomed by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who has however also mentioned that any necessary measures will be taken as Shaker Aamer has not yet been proven innocent.
For now, Aamer is simply content with being at home after having been imprisoned for such a long time for something, he claims, was only charity work.
Photograph: Reprieve
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Maya Warakaulle
The Update 