In his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Trump said he had directed the defence secretary, James Mattis, “to reexamine our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities at Guantánamo Bay”. He added that he expected that “in many cases” captured terrorists would be sent to the camp.

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The Trump executive order instructs Mattis, in consultation with the secretary of state and other officials, to deliver a new policy on battlefield detentions, “including policies governing transfer of individuals to US Naval Station Guantánamo Bay” within 90 days.

It is the latest in a long series of policies pursued by Barack Obama that Trump has reversed. Obama signed an order calling for Guantánamo Bay to be closed on his second day in office in 2009, but he was never able carry out that policy to its conclusion.

Obama argued that maintenance of an detention facility beyond the reach of US law undermined American global leadership on human rights. In his speech on Tuesday night however, Trump said that the move to close Guantánamo reflected softness in the fight against terrorism. And he suggested detention was second best to killing terrorists.

“Terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals are evil,” Trump said. “When possible, we have no choice but to annihilate them. When necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. But we must be clear: Terrorists are not merely criminals. They are unlawful enemy combatants. And when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are.”

He added: “In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield – including the Isis leader, al-Baghdadi, who we captured but who we had who we release.”

Obama’s adversaries had claimed that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had been released from an Iraqi prison facility called Camp Bucca in 2009. However, the insurgent who went on to lead the Islamic State, was released by a military review board in 2004.

Trump did not announce he was about to order the transfer of new prisoners to Guantánamo Bay, and a leaked state department cable to embassies abroad said there were no immediate plans for transfer to Guantánamo. But the president left that option open in his speech.

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Source: The Guardian

The post Donald Trump signs executive order to keep Guantánamo Bay open appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“They were given two years to stay in Ghana, and the two years have elapsed, what next. And for me they have to leave the country. They must be made to leave by the tenets of the agreement. And agreement tells how its termination can be. So I don’t see why this thing cannot be done, because if they are not made to leave, the security implications are dire,” he told Umaru Sanda on the Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News on Tuesday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”RPEXrGcxVxlpZMOqrAa9C3WZ99CHcs9d”]Ghana’s controversial agreement with the United States of America for the two-year stay of the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, ended on January 6, 2018.

The government has said it is discussing the future of the two, who were in detention for 14 years after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

Despite the concerns that met Ghana’s decision to host the two Yemeni men, their two-year stay passed without any incident.

But Dr. Danso insists that the two must leave the country because hosting them “has brought lot of insecurity to us already.”

“Remember when they were brought in, the Ghana government said the Syrians could come and visit their relatives here. How many Syrians came in and who are they? All these things have security implications. The government must come out and tell us,” Dr. Danso added.

Background

The move to host the two in the country was criticized by many observers including the then-in-opposition New Patriotic Party, who described the two as a security threat despite assurances to the contrary by the US.

Two citizens; Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, further sued the former Attorney General and the Minister of Interior contending that the two were being hosted illegally.

The two were justified by the Supreme Court, which declared as unconstitutional the agreement between the Mahama government and the United States.

The apex court ordered the government to send the agreement to Parliament for ratification or have the two detainees sent back to the US.

According to the judgment, government needed the approval of Parliament before entering into any international agreement, just as in the case of the two detainees.

When the matter came up for discussion in Parliament, the House was informed that the agreement that was reached under a note verbale and Memorandum of Understanding.

A note verbale is a piece of diplomatic correspondence prepared in the third person and unsigned.

Parliament subsequently ratified the agreement for the two for detainees to be in the country for two year.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Return GITMO 2 now – Antwi Danso to gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking exclusively to Citi News’ Umaru Sanda Amadu, the lawyer, George Clark, said the transfer of power, “certainly doesn’t help, and it is unfortunate that it appears to me that he is being used as a political football when he has nothing to do with that.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”kSE97ttEbThTXMjfvhWjIay24aLYXzvc”]“To put that change on a specific person or a specific deal that the prior government made seems to be inappropriate, and that is what it seems to be happening.”

He, however noted that, the challenges have persisted since the transfer to Ghana, but couldn’t explicitly say things have gotten worse since the change in government to the current Akufo-Addo administration.

“When you have somebody that has been detained illegally for as long as he was detained…  he necessarily had and will have a difficult time readjusting to a normal life and that was present even prior to the change in government.”

George Clark has represented Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef since 2015, and has been in contact with his client since his transfer to Ghana in January 2016, to help coordinate between the US and Ghana governments.

He however said his client is desirous of more freedom in Ghana and wants to “live a regular life”.

However, the Akufo-Addo administration “has been trying to protect him” in the sense that the government is trying to keep people away from him.”

“But that has negative connotations for him, in being able to work and be productive and things like that. It is a complicated situation for him,” the lawyer added.

Bin Atef worried

Following the judgment indicating that the Mahama Administration needed the approval of Parliament before entering into any international agreement like the case of these two detainees, George Clark said his client was worried about the development, but it is “premature for him to make a decision as to what to do.”

“I am sure that he is worried about that. Repatriating him to Yemen would be contrary to international law because of the armed conflict in Yemen, so I don’t think that is going to happen,” the lawyer added.

Two Ghanaian citizens sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, together with the Minister of Interior, accusing then-President John Mahama of illegally bringing in the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees, without recourse to the laws of the land.

The plaintiffs were seeking, among other reliefs, a declaration that the President of the Republic of Ghana acted unconstitutionally, per Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution, by agreeing to the transfer of the two detainees.

Ex Gitmo detainee Bin Atef marries in Ghana

Meanwhile, it has emerged that one of the two ex-Guantanmo Bay detainees, has gotten married during his short stay in the country. Bin Atef’s wife, Haia, is a Yemeni national, and they married about two and a half months ago, with close family relatives in attendance.

Bin Atef’s wife, Haia, is a Yemeni national, and they married about two and a half months ago, with close family relatives in attendance. This was confirmed to by his lawyer.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post My client being used as ‘political football’ – ex Gitmo detainee’s lawyer appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Bin Atef’s wife, Haia, is a Yemeni national, and they have been married for about two and a half months.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Yk9nsGMqtRJJjIVALbc7alOQUny1zk6x”]The marriage is said to have been contracted after the erstwhile John Mahama administration accepted to host him in January 2016, alongside Khalid Al-Dhuby.

Asked whether the marriage was contracted while he was in Ghana,  George Clarke who has been lawyer for Bin Atef since 2015, said : “I think it was contracted while he was in Ghana, but I don’t believe the woman is from Ghana.”

“He is already married, but I don’t think it is to anybody in Ghana. He did get married after he got out of Guantanamo, but I don’t know the details of that,” Mr. Clarke added.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Citi News’ Umaru Sanda Amadu on Friday, Mr. Clarke also said his client wants to have his full freedom of movement in the country and be able to work as well.

“He wants to live a regular life. He wants to get married. He wants to have kids…” Mr. Clarke said.

Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who were in detention for 14 years after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda, were brought to Ghana in 2016, for a period, after which they were expected to be reintegrated in their home countries.

But two Ghanaian citizens, Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, subsequently sued the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, together with the Minister of Interior, accusing then-President John Mahama of illegally bringing in the two former Gitmo detainees, without recourse to the laws of the land.

The plaintiffs were seeking among other reliefs, a “declaration that on a true and proper interpretation of Article 75 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the President of the Republic of Ghana acted unconstitutionally by agreeing to the transfer of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.”

After staying in the country for over a year, the Supreme Court on Thursday declared as unconstitutional the hosting of the two detainees without parliament approving an agreement for their stay.

The court in its judgement thus asked government to put before Parliament an agreement that will legalize the two detainees’ stay in the country, or they risk being repatriated within three the next months.

My client being used as ‘political football’

The lawyer believes the change in government in both Ghana and the US, may have seen his client being used as a political tool.

According to George Clark,  “the transfer of power, “certainly doesn’t help, and it is unfortunate that it appears to me that he is being used as a political football when he has nothing to do with that.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

The post Ex Gitmo detainee Bin Atef marries in Ghana appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.