Finally it looks like the US will release Murat Kurnaz – the young Turkish-German Muslim from Bremen – will be released from the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay next week. The FT reports:
The Pentagon will next week release a German resident from Guantanamo Bay in a move that is likely to remove a contentious issue in relations between Berlin and Washington.
Diplomatic sources told the FT that Murat Kurnaz – a German-born man of Turkish descent who was nicknamed the "Taliban of Bremen" – would be released in spite of the fact that Germany refused US demands that he be monitored after his return to Germany. The German government was unwilling to monitor Mr Kurnaz because he has not been convicted of any crime.
I urge American readers to write to US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to ask why the young man was held for over 4 years without any charges brought or any criminal evidence produced. According to Amnesty International Kurnaz was tortured while in the custody of the US military in Afghanistan, and subjected to sexual humiliation while being "interrogated" at Guantanamo. Ask the Attorney General whether this torture and abuse will be investigated, and those responsible held accountable. German readers should ask the same of the US Ambassador Timken in Berlin.
Unfortunately, Kurnaz’s release may not be the end of his troubles, since the state posecutor in Bremen intends to investigate Murat for possible charges of "forming a criminal gang":
Die Bremer Staatsanwaltschaft wird nach einer möglichen Freilassung des Bremer Guantánamo-Häftlings Murat Kurnaz das gegen diesen laufende Ermittlungsverfahren wegen des Verdachts auf Bildung einer kriminellen Vereinigung wieder aufnehmen. Das Verfahren sei lediglich vorläufig eingestellt worden, weil der Beschuldigte nicht erreichbar war, sagte Staatsanwalt Uwe Picard der taz. Es könne gut sein, dass Kurnaz dann als Beschuldigter vernommen werde. Kurnaz’ Anwalt Bernhard Docke bezeichnete die Vorwürfe als "Hirngespinst".
Hasn’t the poor guy been tormented enough?
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Pentagon says it was not a release but a transfer of custody:
http://www.tnr.com/blog/theplank?pid=33851
What do you make of that?
Of course the Pentagon has to lie about Kurnaz. Otherwise they would be forced to admit that they held an innocent man in captivity for nearly five years, outside of any known legal framework.
The Pentagon did *release* some Gitmo prisoners, but not Kurnaz. Here it is called a transfer.
I heard the Pentagon wanted German authorities to monitor Kurnaz 24 hours a day. Germany refused. That’s why the negotiations (which started in January 2006??) took so long. I guess, the Pentagon wants to be able to blame Germany if Kurnaz commits a crime now. They don’t want to be accused of having him released.
Makes sense, after four years in Gitmo he might be angry:
Too Much Cookies Network » Schuldig, da in Guantanamo!
“You were innocent. Four years ago! This place has changed you. I mean all that time, you’ve been kept in a cage without trial – aren’t you a little angry?”
http://www.toomuchcookies.net/?p=704