n Hooded protesters in a demo against Guantanamo Bay detention centre on
January 11, 2015 outside the White House. A Kenyan is being held
indefinitely at the centre. PHOTO | MANDEL NGAN | AFP
A Kenyan held at an American military base in Guantanamo Bay,
Cuba, for nearly 10 years on terrorism charges is hopeful of returning
home.
In a November 17, 2017 letter, Mr Mohamed Abdul
Malik Bajabu tells his eldest sister Mwajuma Rajab Abdalla to be
optimistic of his acquittal.
The four-page handwritten letter seen by the Sunday Nation, reached Kenya a few weeks ago, nearly five months after the family's patriarch died of cancer.
ATTACKS
No
man is perfect... (and) this is just a test and it too shall pass; one
day at a time,” Mr Bajabu tells his sister in in broken Kiswahili.
Ms Abdalla, Bajabu's mastery of Kiswahili has deteriorated as he normally converses in English or Arabic while in prison.
He
was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit in February 2007 after
being linked to several attacks, including the 2002 raid on an Israeli
hotel in Kikambala, Kilifi, where more than 10 people died.
NO TRIAL
Police also linked Mr Bajabu to plans to attack a World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa in 2007, said his sister.
He was also suspected of bieng a member of the banned Islamic Party of Kenya.
In March 2007, Kenyan authorities flew him to Guantanamo Bay.
But
Mr Bajabu, a father of three, is now one of the “forever prisoners” at
the detention centre, meaning he is being held indefinitely without
charge or trial.
WELL-BEHAVED
In
recent years, the only way out for these prisoners is to be “cleared
for release” by the Periodic Review Board (PRB), the military equivalent
of a parole hearing.
The prisoners are expected to
show they are well-behaved, that they do not hold extremist views, that
they will have family or community support, and that they have
employment prospects.
MODERATE
In
his last appearance before the PRB in June 2017, Mr Bajabu said: “While
here in detention, I continue to read and learn about farming and honey
harvesting. I am a hardworking man and I am confident that I can run a
farm and support my family upon my release.”
He also
told the board, which comprises the heads of the US security
agencies, that he would like to be repatriated to the Middle East.
“I
am a peaceful man. I pose no threat to the United States or anyone. I
am a moderate Muslim and do not believe in violence. My hope is to live
in a peaceful society where I can rejoin my wife and family and raise my
children,” he said.
CAMPAIGNS
Ms
Abdallah said US officials have previously asked her whether she could
take care of him if he was returned home and ensured he did not engage
in criminal activities, "but nothing tangible came out of the talks".
She said the family always follows international news to know if the prison would be shut as had been indicated.
“Most countries have taken their prisoners. Why can’t Kenya bring him back?” she asked.
During his successful campaigns for the White House in 2008, Mr Barrack Obama promised to close the prison within a year.
DONALD TRUMP
When he got to office in 2009, however, his efforts were thwarted by the US Congress.
By the time he left office in January 2017, there were 40 inmates at the prison.
Hopes
of an early release were dashed with the election of Donald Trump as US
President in November 2016, said Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, Mr Bajabu's
private counsel who works for human rights group Reprieve.
SECURITY
“Since
Trump’s inauguration, detainees at GTMO have been refused clearance by
the Periodic Review Board, even when they are harmless — the standards
for clearance sometimes seem impossibly high,” she said ahead of Mr
Bajabu's appearance last year.
Nonetheless, Mr Bajabu's family still hopes to reunite with him soon.
“We normally talk through Skype every three months,” Ms Abdallah said at her home in Mombasa.
“Last
time, he told me not to worry about him. That he is concerned about my
security. He said if he died on US soil, that would be his fate.”
HUNGER STRIKE
The family said Mr Bajabu had faced hardship and torture.
He was among prisoners who staged a 92-day hunger strike last year.
“He had surgery. He was tortured beyond human imagination,” his sister said.
She said his brother was in three chains initially but two had been unlocked — “an indication that he could be released soon”.
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