After 1,696 days in the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Murat Kurnaz was flown back to Germany and reunited with his family. Reuters reports:
BERLIN, Aug 24 (Reuters) – A Turk with German residency held at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay has been released and was handed over to German authorities at a U.S. Air Force Base in Germany on Thursday, his lawyer said.
"Finally after 4-3/4 years of martyrdom, of torture, and deprivation of rights, the news has arrived — Mr. (Murat) Kurnaz is free," Kurnaz’s German lawyer, Bernhard Docke, said.
Docke said he would brief reporters on Friday in Kurnaz’s hometown of Bremen in northern Germany. Kurnaz will not attend as he is with his family and needs time to adjust to his freedom, he said.
"He will undergo medical treatment and will not be appearing in public," Docke said. "Mr Kurnaz has been through hell."
Earlier, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said an agreement on the release of Kurnaz had come after the successful conclusion of long negotiations between the U.S. and German governments.
Dubbed the "Bremen Taliban", Kurnaz, born in Germany in 1982, was in the process of becoming a German citizen when he was arrested in Pakistan in late 2001.
He was taken from there to Guantanamo on Cuba, where the United States is holding hundreds it suspects of backing Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda or Afghanistan’s radical Islamist Taliban.
Kurnaz has said he has suffered abuse at Guantanamo and interrogation techniques including sexual humiliation, water torture and the desecration of Islam.
Kurnaz is lucky – if losing 4 3/4 years of one’s life could be considered "lucky" – in that he had a very effective German lawyer in Bernhard Docke as well as a good American lawyer, Baher Azmy. Thanks to their efforts, the case became a irritant to President Bush and Chancellor Merkel as they tried to repair the damaged relationship between the two nations. There are many other detainees at Guantanamo who are most likely equally innocent of any terrorist connections, but who lack the resources and legal representation that Kurnaz enjoyed. Their fate is still in uncertain. Also, the shameful role played by German Intelligence (BND) and former interior minister Schily in the Kurnaz affair still needs to be clarified.
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The culprit in the innocent Mr. Kurnaz case is Thomas Oppermann(Germany)
Post subject: La détention vite et immediate d’Oppermann Reply with quote
L’ancien juge et le criminel professionnel, Thomas Oppermann (espion des services secretes Allemandes[BND] (Conseil de “BND”)), a répété souvent dans le passé ses départs de la loi dans au moins 10 cas. Ceci, le grand criminel Oppermann a fait, en dépit de 5 ans de penitentaire avec travail dur dans tout cas singulier qui égale dans chacun des 10 cas criminels au moins à 50 ans de penintentiaire du travail dur pour Thomas Oppermann. Le grand criminel, Thomas Oppermann, toutefois n’était pas encore pas persecuté ni I) pour ses activités d’espion pour Tel Aviv et Haïfa ni II) en raison de sa connivence et sa collusion récente avec l’internement et la torture de M. Kurnaz à Guantanamo. Le grand criminel, Thomas Oppermann, devrait être arrêté immédiatement en raison de sa connivence et être soumis à une interrogation la plus stricte comprenant toute sa famille. De plus grande importance est l’application de tous moyens les plus durs contre sa famille et la détention vite et immediate de sa famille tout entière inclus l’entourage d’Oppermann parce que nous avons des évidences que le criminel Thomas Oppermann rechange les pièces de preuves souvent et laisse nettoyer sous son tapis les preuves
maintenant. La famille d’Oppermann devrait être soumise aussitôt que possible aux méthodes d’interrogation les plus strictes pour limiter le dommage et les dégats d’Oppermann.
Post subject: Wanted death or … :Zionistic Spy Thomas Oppermann Reply with quote
The former judge and professional criminal, Thomas Oppermann(German Secret Service spy
(BND Board)), repeated often in the past his departures from the law in at least 10 cases. This despite 5 years penintentiary in any singular case which equals in all 10 criminal counts to at least 50 years penitentiary for Thomas Oppermann. The big criminal, Thomas Oppermann, however wasn’t yet persued neither for his spy activities for Tel Aviv & Haifa nor ii) because of his collusion with the internment and torture of Mr. Kurnaz in Guantanamo. The big criminal, Thomas Oppermann, should be arrested immediately because of his collusion and submitted to a strictest rogation including his family. Of utmost importance is the application of all
means for rendition without detention spare
of the family of Thomas Oppermann and its surrounding field. The family of Oppermann should be subjected to the severest rendition methods as soon as possible to limit further
dammage.
Erschiesst alle Spione des BND ! Reply with quote
Der frühere Richter und Berufsverbrecher, Thomas Oppermann, dessen wiederholte Rechtsbeugungen in mindestens 10 Fällen trotz 5 Jahren Zuchthaus in diesen Dingen[diese “several counts” ergeben dann zum Schwerverbrecher Thomas Oppermann mindestens 50 Jahre Zuchthaus ! ] noch nicht verfolgt worden sind, sollte i) als Spion von Tel Aviv & Haifa und ii) wegen Verdunkelung bei der Internierung und Folterung von Hern Kurnaz in Guantanamo sofort verhaftet und einer strengsten _Rogation_ ohne Haftverschonung seines Familienumfeldes unterworfen werden.