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The Families of the detainees outside the court during the final day of the hearing.

On the third day of the appeal hearing into the judicial review case brought by solicitors representing the families of Omar Deghayes, Jamil El-Banna and Bisher El-Rawi, Rabinder Singh QC, representing the families, finished presenting theircase at around midday. Christopher Greenwood QC, representing the government, continued presenting the British government’s case

The family of Omar Deghayes attended the court while several demonstrators from Birmingham Guantanamo Campaign, members of Amnesty and supporters from London held a demonstration outside the courts to show their support and solidarity for the families of the detainees held at Guantanamo. The demonstration was largely successful with the visual display outside the court drawing a lot of attention. The demonstrators spoke to many members of the public and distributed material explaining the case to the general public including tourists from the Indian sub-continent, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. Most of the public showed interest in the protest and the printed material the protestors were distributing. Members of the public signed petitions demanding independent public enquiry into the recent deaths of the three Guantanamo detainees.

2nd Day of Protest(25th July 2006) outside the High Court

On the second day of the appeal hearing into the judicial review case brought by solicitors representing the families of Omar Deghayes, Jamil El-Banna and Bisher El-Rawi, Rabinder Singh QC, representing the families, finished presenting theircase at around midday. Christopher Greenwood QC, representing the government, then started his reply. He will continue presenting the British government’s case tomorrow when the appeal hearing is likely to end.

The family of Omar Deghayes attended the court today. Four demonstrators from the London Guantanamo Campaign held a demonstration outside the court to show their support for the families. The demonstration was largely successful with the visual display outside the court drawing a lot of attention. The demonstrators spoke to many members of the public interested in their protest, including tourists visiting London, among them some American soldiers; everyone the demonstrators spoke to expressed their sympathy with the plight of the three families and wished them good luck and a positive outcome to the case. Tourists and passers-by took pictures of the magnificent display outside the court, although grumpy court staff insisted that the Amnesty International banners be removed from the railings outside the court; the banners which offended no one yesterday when attached to the same railings continued to attract attention when laid out in the street. A donation was even made by a passer-by to help the demonstrators in their campaign. The message from passers-by outside the Royal Courts of Justice was unanimously one of sympathy with the families and hope that these men and their families will get justice after four long and painful years.

The case and the demonstration outside the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London, continues tomorrow(Wednesday the 26th July 2006). The demonstration will start at 10am and the hearing will start at 10.30am. Please come and show your support to the families and call for justice and freedom for Omar Deghayes, Bisher El-Rawi and Jamil El-Banna.

Demonstration outside Law Courts supporting the British Residents held at Guantanamo

An application submitted in November 2005 by lawyers representing the families of Omar Deghayes, Jamil El-Banna and Bisher El-Rawi, three British residents currently being held illegally and without charge in Guantanamo Bay, that the Foreign Secretary request the US authorities to release and return them to the United Kingdom was turned down by the High Court in early May following a hearing in March 2006. However, the ruling in May conceded that the three men had all been abused and tortured in violation of the UN Convention on Torture and that their fundamental right to due process had been breached and leave was granted to the families to appeal. The appeal hearing is currently being heard, 24-26 July 2006, at the Court of Appeal, in the Strand, London.

Bring them home! No more detention with trial or charge! No more illegal prisons!

Demonstrate outside the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London, WC1 (nearest tube: Temple/ Chancery Lane)

Demonstrations will take place from 10am-2.30pm. outside the court on Tuesday and Wednesday (if the case continues) Please check this space. Come and show your support to the families and demand that the British Government acts to release British residents illegally detained at Guantanamo Bay.

Shut Guantanamo Now!

International Day of Protest (Saturday 15 July 2006)

The National Guantanamo Campaign held its first national action on 15 July 2006 when it took part in the “Shut Guantanamo Now!” International Day of Protest by organising a demonstration and rally in central London. This demonstration was called for and organised urgently in response to the news on 9 June of the deaths of two young Saudi men and a Yemeni imprisoned without trial or charge at Guantanamo Bay. The National Guantanamo Campaign strongly rejects the official American line that these men “committed suicide” as an “act of asymmetrical warfare” and calls for an independent inquiry into this incident. The National Guantanamo Coalition also urges the American government and other governments to act immediately to release the remaining 430 or so prisoners known to be held there before there are any more fatalities.

As part of the international day of protest, marches, demonstrations and vigils were organised across the world for the 15th July 2006. Several different protests were organised across the United States, with protests and vigils in the Middle East, London and Australia.
In London after a short march from Marble Arch to the American Embassy in Grosvenor Square, the crowd was addressed by numerous speakers including Victoria Brittain, co-author with Moazzam Begg of "Enemy Combatant", Yvonne Ridley, Ghada Razuk of the Stop the War Coalition,Azzam Tamimi and others. In total, speeches outside the embassy lasted for over an hour and a half.

Omar Deghayes from Brighton is one of the British residents known to be imprisoned in

Guantanamo. His sister, Amani, speaking with a perfect Home counties accent and wearing a T shirt with the web address http://www.save-omar.org.uk/ , told how when she was 8 years old, their mother had fled with five children from Libya to Britain.

Shortly after her speech it was announced that she and Jackie were going to take a petition to the embassy and a policewoman stepped forward to open the fence between the crowd and the embassy. This petition was for an independent inquiry into the deaths of prisoners at Guantanamo and for its closure.

George Galloway spoke, amongst other things, of the case of Babar Ahmad. He said that he had become a friend of Ahmad's family and that he totally believed in his innocence. The final speaker was barrister Hugo Charlton from CAMPACC.

The organisers then announced that they would be proceeding to the Home Office via Marble Arch. Here a petition was to be handed in demanding that Britain ensures the safe return to Britain of the British residents still in Guantanamo. I didn't see how many (if any) dispersed from Grosvenor Square, but I counted about 215 people still with the march.
as it continued towards Marble Arch.

S Hewitt

International Day of Protest in Yemen demanding closure of Guantanamo

Familiy members call for the closure of the Guantanamo detention.

The flags were raised and bearing slogans like “Close Guantanamo Prison” or “Freedom to al-Helah.” 1000 demonstrators, some from members from concerned NGO's and some from families of those held at Guantanamo Bay Prison, marched in front of the Yemeni Parliament and then to the United Nations building last Saturday. The demonstration was arranged by the HOOD organization (The National Organization for Defending Human Rights and Freedom). The head of the constitutional committee in the Parliament, Ali Buhaliqaqh took the letter listing the demonstrators' demands and said that parliament would discuss it in its coming session, according to Khalid al-Anesi, HOOD's executive director. Read more

International Day of Protest in Sydney, Australia

Reports of International Protest day from across the world
Sydney, Australia

In very wet and cold weather conditions, between 200 and 250 people turned up today, Saturday July 15th, to the International Day of protest outside Sydney Town Hall calling for the Closure of Guantanamo and the repatriation of Australian David Hicks

Many demonstrators were wearing atleast one piece of orange clothing.
There were Orange balloons all around the Town Hall saying Bring Hicks
Home.

Birmingham Action Against CIA Flights

Saturday 24 June 2006, Birmingham Guantanamo Campaign held a vigil on the A45 outside Birmingham International Airport to "demand action to put a stop to the CIA's torture flights". This was one of several vigils scheduled to take place at different airports on the same day, ahead of the forthcoming presentation on Tuesday 27th June of a report titled "alleged secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers of detainees involving Council of Europe member states" by Dick Marty to the so-called Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

"People kidnapped by the US are being shuttled around the world for interrogation, often to places where torture is practiced – and the US administration doesn’t deny it. This is called extraordinary rendition”

A report by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty says European governments including Britain are complicit in these abuses.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be debating the report on 27th June. Join our vigils to demand action to put a stop to the CIA’s torture flights. Peaceful vigils are planned around the UK and Ireland.

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