A photo I took yesterday of campaigners for Julian Assange at their weekly Wednesday vigil outside Australia House on the Strand. I admire their dedication!
@JA_Defence
@wikileaks
A solitary campaigner for
#JulianAssange
&
#Wikileaks
bravely carrying a placard along Pall Mall & risking arrest this p.m., just after the Queen's funeral service. He told me he had been arrested during the Platinum Jubilee, when he was told that his mask might scare people
Beyond disgusting: Israeli forces have 'arrested' Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, the brave director of Al-Shifa Hospital. What's his crime? Being a doctor & trying to mitigate the effects of a genocide? Is it now a crime to have tried to save the lives of sick & wounded Palestinians?
Somali Prisoner at
#Guantanamo
, Approved for Release a Year Ago, Calls on a US Court to Act on His Case - my latest, about the plight of Guled Hassan Duran, one of 20 men still held who have been approved for release but not freed
@ScientistsX
joined yesterday's
#NotMyBill
protest in London against the recently passed Public Order Act, where I photographed this important message from molecular biologist
@PerrinAbi
, carried by another scientist. My report here:
In Deptford, I was delighted to bump into Kolja
@longwalk4julian
who recently completed a 900-mile, 75-day walk from Hamburg to raise awareness of Julian Assange's plight & to encourage support for the Human Chain around Parliament this Sat
#WikiLeaks
Disgraceful BBC reporting, claiming that the 100k people, inc. myself, who marched in support of the Palestinian people on Sat, were actually "voic[ing] their backing for Hamas." We weren't. We were calling for an end to Israeli collective punishment with a clear genocidal intent
"Here in the UK Sunak visited a Jewish school in London to underline his support for the community. The visit followed several demonstrations across Britain during which people voiced their backing for Hamas"
BBC News. No words.
Julian Assange supporters at Amnesty-led
#Guantanamo
21st anniversary march & rally in London on Saturday. As we should all recognize, Julian's persecution is partly based on release of Guantanamo files in 2011, on which I worked as a media partner
Signed and shared. Full page ad in yesterday's
@guardian
: >1800 signatures from 107 countries urging the British government to block the extradition of Julian Assange.
#JournalistsSpeakUpForAssange
#FreeTheGuantanamo20
My poster for the 21st anniversary of the opening of
#Guantanamo
this Wednesday, Jan. 11, focusing on the 20 men - out of the 35 still held - who have been approved for release but have not been freed. Feel free to share/use!
Completely Unnoticed, CIA Torture Victim Abu Faraj Al-Libi Has His Ongoing Imprisonment Without Charge or Trial Approved by a
#Guantanamo
Review Board - my latest for Close Guantanamo
#Grenfell
Six Years On: Still Crying Out for Justice - looking at how those in social housing are still regarded as second-class citizens, and how perpetually shocking it is that cladding as flammable as petrol was ever allowed to be used on buildings
For
#WorldPressFreedomDay
please remember
#WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange, who remains imprisoned in HMP Belmarsh, as the US still seeks his extradition as the publisher of classified documents whose release was in the public interest. I took the photo in London two days ago.
Thanks
@MarkRuffalo
for sharing
@OwenJones84
's powerful
@guardian
article, 'The west’s complete contempt for the lives of Palestinians will not be forgotten.' Sadly, the number of celebrities prepared to stand up against Israel's genocide in Gaza can largely be counted on 2 hands
#MerryXmasNHS
@NHSMillion
The NHS saved the life of my son, who was born 10 weeks premature 18 years ago, and his mum, who had pre-enclampsia, and my black toes were saved from amputation after I developed a rare blood disease in 2011. NHS, we owe you our lives!
Please Write to the
#Guantanamo
Prisoners, to Let Them Know We Remember Them - as the UN recently noted, the remaining 30 prisoners are quite profoundly isolated
Marking 7,671 days of
#Guantanamo
's existence today (the 21st anniversary of its opening), former prisoners Mansoor Adayfi & Mohamedou Ould Slahi urge President Biden to close it without further delay. Please join them!
Today, shamefully, is the 21st anniversary of
#Guantanamo
's opening; 7,671 days. Here's my photo with the poster & my message to
@POTUS
&
@SecBlinken
calling for them to take urgent action to free the 20 men still held who have been approved for release
Logic professor on how Big Oil’s PR people constantly divert us from focusing on the truly important climate change question: “how can we stop the fossil-fuel industry from destroying the life-sustaining systems of the planet in their quest for profit?"
As Said Bakush, an Algerian held for nearly 21 years without charge or trial, is finally freed from
#Guantanamo
, nearly a year after being approved for release, here's his shocking story, which I wrote after that decision was taken
Shocking Statistics From
#Guantanamo
: How Long Prisoners Approved for Release Have Been Waiting to Be Freed - my new infographic looking at how long the 20 men approved for release have been waiting, compared to the 377 days Majid Khan had to wait
Do they ever not lie? After Israeli snipers killed women in a Palestinian Catholic church in Gaza, Jerusalem's deputy mayor claims, "There are no churches in Gaza."
@BBCNewsnight
@BBC
please stop giving a platform to spokespeople from Tufton St & allied 'think-tanks' that are not transparent and have clearly malignant and unjustifiable agendas
Today the prison at
#Guantanamo
Bay has, shamefuly, been open for 7,900 days. Please join me, former prisoner Mansoor Adayfi & others in the US & around the world in calling for its closure
I met this man on Wednesday evening on Waterloo Bridge. He came from work, and stopped to show solidarity with
@ExtinctionR
's occupation of the bridge. He felt he could no longer do nothing in the face of impending environmental catastrophe.
President Elect Biden, It’s Time to Close
#Guantanamo
- Immediate moves need to be made to release men previously approved for release, and those who should have been
On Wednesday June 7, the monthly coordinated global vigils for the closure of # Guantanamo continue, with a particular focus on freeing the 16 men who have been approved for release and have been waiting between 257 and 4,884 days to be freed
@wikileaks
I was honoured to attend the vigil marking
@JulianAssange
's 6yrs in the Ecuadorian Embassy yesterday. I spoke of the importance of protecting free speech, of my work with WikiLeaks on
#Guantanamo
, and I played 'Close Guantanamo' (1:05 to 1:12):
A few photos I took at today's Human Chain around Parliament for Julian Assange, when at least 5,000 people turned up, and completely surrounded the Palace of Westminster! My thoughts on the significance of the day are here:
This Sunday I'm taking part in this online seminar about Julian Assange's extradition case with attorney Thomas Durkin. Hoping some of you will join me!
Today, July 4,
#Guantanamo
has been open for 7,115 days. As the US celebrates its freedom from executive tyranny, remember that for the last 19 yrs the US has, hypocritically, been engaged in its own executive tyranny at Guantanamo. Tell Biden to close it!
My statements in support of Julian Assange, as read into evidence last week during his extradition hearing in London, following my work with WikiLeaks as a media partner of the release of the
#Guantanamo
files in 2011
Finally, a Western media outlet - the
@guardian
- deigns to report on the stories of Palestinian civilians slaughtered by Israel in Gaza: children, students, doctors, writers, artists, altho it still just scratches the surface of the immense loss of life
It’s Eight Years Since WikiLeaks Released the Hugely Important
#Guantanamo
Files, Leaked by Chelsea Manning, On Which I Worked as a Media Partner
@wikileaks
Just a reminder of what we're struggling for when we ask the US government to free the 18 men still held at
#Guantanamo
who have been approved for release. As of Feb 23, they had been held for between 153 & 4,780 days since those decisions were taken
Just one of tens of thousands of homes destroyed by Israel in
#Gaza
. No one could seriously believe claims that these were anything but civilians' homes, meaning that they were destroyed as part of a deliberate program of genocide/forced displacement, which the US fully supports
Is this our Christmas gift?
For the first time since the beginning of the war, I obtained pictures of our house in the north. It was burned by the occupying army, along with my brothers' shops. The house was shelled with 3 bombs on the upper floor. Our hearts and memories burned
Now-deleted tweet by Netanyahu adviser Hananya Naftali taking credit for Israel bombing the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, killing at least 500 people, which they're now trying to blame on Hamas/Islamic Jihad. Western media have begun parroting Israel's lies. Don't believe them.
As the UK Supreme Court turns down Julian Assange's application to appeal against the High Court's decision to allow his extradition to proceed, I thought it was a good time to share again my song 'Warriors', about Julian & Chelsea Manning
@JA_Defence
Palestinians sharing stories, via their grandparents & great grandparents, of where their families lived in 1948 before the Nakba, explaining how families have held onto the house keys, and in some cases the title deeds. Unaddressed crimes over 75 years.
My great grandfather, AbdelQader Basher, lived in the village of Bashshayt, in the Ramleh sub-district, where my ancestors owned lands and worked as farmers until my family was violently uprooted in 1948, he held onto the key to our house, which we still hold onto today.
And,
How long the 16 men still held at
#Guantanamo
who have been approved for release have been waiting since they were first told that the US no longer wanted to hold them. My poster prepared for the coordinated global vigils for Guantanamo's closure, taking place this Weds, Sep 6
Photos I took at today's vigil for
#Guantanamo
's closure in London, part of a series of coordinated global vigils across the US & in Mexico City, Brussels & Copenhagen, with former prisoners also taking part in Serbia & Morocco. Full report & all the photos on my website tomorrow
In Historic Ruling, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Agrees to Hear Case of Four Survivors of CIA Rendition and "Black Site" Torture - My latest for
Sad to hear of the passing of former
#Guantanamo
prisoner Salem Ghereby, who has died of cancer in Libya, at the age of 62. He spent 14 years in Guantanamo, 2 years in Senegal & 2 years in a Libyan militia prison before being reunited with his family
Join Us on Wednesday June 7 for the Next Monthly Coordinated Global Vigils for the Closure of
#Guantanamo
- ten locations inc. London, Washington, D.C., New York, Detroit, Minneapolis
Human Rights Commission to Investigate U.S. Torture Program - The latest newsletter, celebrating the decision by
@IACHumanRights
to investigate the cases of four men subjected to rendition and torture.
#FreeTheGuantanamo18
In the run-up to tomorrow's coordinated global vigils for the closure of
#Guantanamo
, campaigners in Brussels, with the Comité Free Assange Belgium, held a vigil in solidarity. Many thanks!
With
@greekemmy
of
@JA_Defence
at the protest calling for the closure of
#Guantanamo
in Trafalgar Sq y'day. My poster reminds Joe Biden that the 20th anniversary of Guantanamo's opening on Tuesday marks 7,306 days of the prison's existence. Please join me!
@JehadAbusalim
I think we DO feel connected to every single person who's been killed by Israel over the last 6 wks. They ALL had stories, lives, hopes & dreams. Memorialising all of them would be useful: ALL the names & a few lines about who they were: baby, mother, doctor, journalist, chef etc
“Forever Prisoner” Muhammad Rahim, the Last Afghan in
#Guantanamo
, Eloquently Pleads For His Release - his Periodic Review Board hearing took place last week, but the mainstream media ignored it
It's the 2nd anniversary of
#WikiLeaks
founder Julian Assange's imprisonment in Belmarsh, and the US government should abandon its appeal against a UK judge's refusal to approve his proposed extradition to the US, which took place three months ago
#FreeTheGuantanamo17
I was so busy photographing the vigil for the closure of
#Guantanamo
in London today (1 of 7 coordinated vigils worldwide) that I only realized afterwards that I wasn't in any of the photos. So here's a selfie I took afterwards, with Big Ben in the background
Former
#Guantanamo
prisoners Mohamedou Ould Salahi and Mansoor Adayfi are calling for the closure of the prison today, on its 6,700th day of existence, as am I. Please join us!
UN human rights experts' new statement: "Grave violations committed by Israel against Palestinians in the aftermath of 7 October, particularly in Gaza, point to a genocide in the making"
My major new article for about what the US can & should do with 14 "high-value detainees" & torture victims still held at
#Guantanamo
inc. plea deals & addressing their physical & mental health issues
A photo I took at today’s March for Palestine in London, of a profoundly poignant placard by a Jewish campaigner for peace, part of the most extraordinary manifestation of humanity by people from all backgrounds
Calling for the closure of
#Guantanamo
on the 20th anniversary of its opening (7,306 days) -
@johnmcdonnellMP
& filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (The Mauritanian) & others in London on Saturday. Join us!
Torture Victims Lead Call for Torture Apologists Avril Haines and Mike Morell Not to be Confirmed as Director of National Intelligence and CIA Director
On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I call on
@POTUS
to close the last outpost of the "war on terror" - the prison at
#Guantanamo
Bay, which has been open for 7,184 days, and where 39 men are still imprisoned, most held indefinitely without charge or trial
Former
#Guantanamo
prisoner Al-Hajj Abdu Mohammed al-Muhajiri, reunited, after 14 years in Guantanamo and 5 in a prison in the UAE, with his son Shamil, who he last saw when he was two months old
Never Forget: The "Season of Death" at
#Guantanamo
- remembering the five men who died between May 30 and June 9 in 2006, 2007 and 2009: all described as suicides, but all disputed
Photos I took today on the huge March for Palestine in London. Great to see the 3,000-strong Jewish Bloc, refuting the Zionists' lie that these are hate marches & unsafe for Jewish people. All who seek peace & oppose Israel's genocide in Gaza are welcome.
A wonderful meal tonight in Brussels before the big
#Guantanamo
meeting in the EU Parliament. So happy to have finally met
@MansoorAdayfi
& Lakhdar Boumediene & also to be with
@Moazzam_Begg
@PradhanAlka
Beth Jacob, James Yee, Valerie Lucznikowska & other friends & colleagues!
#FreeTheGuantanamo20
Tomorrow
#Guantanamo
has been open for 21 years. 35 men are still held, even though 20 of them have been approved for release by high-level government review processes, and one other man is awaiting release after serving a sentence
Today
@UKGuantanamoNet
, inc six
@AmnestyUK
groups, held a march & rally in central London for the closure of
#Guantanamo
, marking the 21st anniversary of the prison's opening on Jan. 11. Great turnout, wonderful atmosphere! More photos, report & videos of speeches soon!
Shocking Statistics From
#Guantanamo
: How Long Prisoners Approved for Release Have Been Waiting to Be Freed - my new infographic looking at how long the 20 men approved for release have been waiting, compared to the 377 days Majid Khan had to wait
Good news, as Thames Water CEO Sarah Bentley resigns, after pocketing £1.5m this year for filling our rivers with sh*t, but no doubt some other hideously overpaid member of the UK's top-level self-selecting managerial mafia will take over. Renationalise the water industry NOW!
Sarah (I'm heartbroken about sewage but doubled my salary) Bentley has resigned from
@thameswater
Anyone care to guess how big her payoff will be? The last one got £2,800,000.
Yesterday the prison at
#Guantanamo
Bay had been open for 7,400 days, and
@MansoorAdayfi
,
@GuantanamoAndy
, Dyani Tisdol in Massachusetts & others in the US & around the world urge President Biden to close it without further delay
Listen to every word by Congress member Rashida Tlaib here and tell me she’s not holding the voice of Palestinians, Jews, everyday Americans and all people of conscience?
As most Democrats fail us, it is
@RashidaTlaib
who is our moral leader. Which is why she’s a target.
Thanks to
@deviatar
of
@amnestyusa
for updating the flyer about the monthly coordinated global vigils for the closure of
#Guantanamo
, which take place on the 1st Weds of every month. The next date is Aug 2. Check out last month's vigils here:
Two important new additions to Close Guantanamo's ongoing photo campaign pointing out how long
#Guantanamo
has been open (7,600 days) & urging
@POTUS
to close it — former prisoners Ahmed Errachidi & Moazzam Begg
3 posters for the 22nd anniversary of the opening of
#Guantanamo
on Jan 11, where 30 Muslim men are still held. 1st shows the 16 men approved for release, 2nd how long they've been held since being approved for release & 3rd shows that Jan 11 marks 8,036 days of Gitmo's existence
Nov. 21:
#Guantanamo
Event at SOAS with Andy Worthington, Moazzam Begg and Mansoor Adayfi - This will be good. If you're in or near London, I hope you can make it! It's free, but please book here:
Today, marking May Day (International Workers' Day),
@PlutoPress
is offering 80% discount on all its ebooks, including 'The Guantanamo Files', my definitive account of the men held at
#Guantanamo
, and how they got there, available today for just £1.60 ($2)