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Since President Obama made his now broken pledge to close Guantánamo Bay 13 months ago, only a few dozen prisoners have been released. 198 remain in a wholly precarious situation after eight years of illegal detention without charge or trial. Last year, the US administration said that around 80 prisoners could leave; some were accepted by their countries and others were accommodated by other countries, including a handful that came to EU countries, such as Belgium, Ireland, France and Hungary. The others who remain are effectively stateless refugees. Until and unless all the prisoners are released and sent to countries where their safety is guaranteed, Guantánamo Bay will not close. The recent move to block the return of prisoners to Yemen has not helped the situation at all, nor have ongoing attempts to relocate Guantánamo Bay to Illinois
Countries such as the UK, who claim to support the closure of Guantánamo Bay, must do more to make that a reality by accepting prisoners on humanitarian grounds. The British government claims it has done enough by securing the return of all the British nationals and all but one of the British residents. However, other countries like France have accepted their own nationals and others with no links to the country on humanitarian grounds. There is nothing to prevent the British government negotiating the release to this country of at least a few prisoners who have nowhere else to go to, men such as Ahmed Belbacha, an Algerian resident from Bournemouth.
For this purpose, the LGC has put together a new letter – below and attached – for you to send (copy/paste, print or modify) to:
The Foreign Minister David Miliband:
David Miliband MP
Foreign Minister
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London, SW1A 2AH
The Prime Minister Gordon Brown:
Gordon Brown MP
Prime Minister
10 Downing Street,
London, SW1A 2AA
Please let the LGC know if you get a response.
16 February 2010
London Guantánamo Campaign
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Dear ,
You will be aware that as at 22 January this year, the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay was still open, in spite of one of President Obama’s first pledges as president being to close it by this date. The main reason for this is that there are still 198 prisoners held there. Many of those men have nowhere to return to and are effectively stateless.
The government has succeeded over the past 6 years in securing the release of all the British nationals held there and all but one of the British residents. Given our strong relationship with the US, there is far more the British government should be doing. You have asserted your commitment to closing Guantánamo Bay but this has yet to be proved.
In the case of the final British resident, Shaker Aamer, while there are discussions between the UK and US for his return, and his return is being sought, intervention must be made at the highest levels to secure his release, as happened with other prisoners. What prevents this level of intervention being made?
Other European countries have demonstrated over the past year that it is possible to accommodate and reintegrate prisoners safely into their own communities, even when they have no prior ties to the country. France, in particular, having accepted its own nationals back, accepted two further prisoners and the family of one of them. Others too have accepted prisoners on a purely humanitarian basis. There are no reasons for the government not to be accepting at least a small number of prisoners on a humanitarian basis to help close Guantánamo Bay.
Over the past eight years, for example, you have argued that there is no basis to accept Ahmed Belbacha, who lived in Bournemouth and cannot return to Algeria for fear for his life, as he was a failed asylum seeker. This argument is wholly redundant and voided by his illegal imprisonment for the past eight years.
The British government must demonstrate its commitment to democracy, human rights and the rule of law by helping to close down Guantánamo Bay by accepting some prisoners on a humanitarian basis.
Yours faithfully,
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London Campaign 
