Appeal to Clinton over Guantanamo prisoner

Campaigners urged US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday to resolve the case of the last British resident held in Guantanamo Bay quickly as they marked the ninth anniversary of the controversial detention centre.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Jan 2011, 22:31 BST

Updated 10th Jan 2011, 22:31 BST

Shaker Aamer, 43, has been held without charge or trial for almost nine years and it is time for him to be charged and tried or released, the human rights group Amnesty International said.

Kate Allen, the charity's UK director, wrote to Mrs Clinton, calling for "reassurance that the case will now be resolved quickly" and saying there was "mounting concern" in Britain over the failure of US authorities to resolve the case.Today we've reached the miserable milestone of nine years of Guantanamo Bay's lawlessness.

"Ever since the shocking September 11 attacks Amnesty has said that where the authorities suspect someone of terrorism then they should be charged and given a fair hearing – instead we've had Guantanamo, a total travesty of justice."

Aamer was captured in December 2001 by the US, which has claimed he was fighting with the Taliban, and moved to Guantanamo the following year, but no charges have ever been brought.

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