British resident to be released from Guantanamo 'shortly'

(Please see UPDATE at the end pf this post)

Bisher al-Rawi, an Iraqi national and long-term resident of the UK (since 1985), is to be released 'shortly' from the US illegal detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has been held since he was arrested during a business trip to Gambia in 2002. There is no word if or when his business partner, Jordanian citizen Jamil al-Banna, will be released; he was arrested at the same time as Mr al-Rawi.

Presumably the US authorities have realised that they have been able to gather absolutely no evidence to present before a court (even the ludicrous 'military tribunal' show trials it is still planning for others it holds in its power) that can plausibly be used against this individual.

As I have said here many times before (and a fourth relatively recent post on the matter is here), the US should close its illegal detention centre at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, forthwith! If it has evidence against any of those it holds there then it should bring them before a federal court in the US where the 'evidence' they present against any of those detained can be subjected to proper US judicial procedure; the proposed military tribunals are simply show trials which are unlikely to convince anyone other than a few of those who still support blindly the current US President and his Administration.

UPDATE: (Sunday 01APR07 22.50 RST) Bisher al-Rawi arrived back in the UK today, having been released from his illegal detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by the American authorities. His best friend Jamil al-Banna remains in American detention in the legal limbo of Gunatanamo Bay, Cuba.