I am pleased to be reporting something positive, for a change! The British detainees at Camp X-Ray are due to be released from US custody after a surprise breakthrough was announced by Foreign Secretary Jack Straw in the Commons on 11^th January 2005. Four days previously, I wrote a terse e-mail to the Foreign Office and forwarded it to a long list of MP’s including Tony Blair, who is said to have made a personal appeal.

The gist of my scathing words were; “It has come to light that a ‘confession’ was extracted from Feroz Abbasi in Guantanamo Bay with interrogation methods so severe that he required treatment at the prison hospital. For the United States to be torturing British subjects into admitting to bogus accusations, without charge, is a violation of human rights and international law.”

“Prior to his illegal torture, Feroz denied being an ‘enemy combatant’ or member of al Qaeda, therefore his capitulation under duress cannot be considered valid. He is clinically depressed and attempted suicide several times. If there is any vestige of decency or humanity left at the Foreign Office, you must demand his extradition to Britain, to undergo a fair trial, based on substantive evidence.”

I went on to ask; “I am interested in what you are doing, if anything, to secure the release of this UK citizen” putting the onus on politicians to explain their position. I would not be so presumptuous as to suggest that my letter prompted the government’s complete U-turn, which came like a bolt from the blue, but pressurizing political representatives works, if they are shamed for their inaction on defending civil liberties. That is their job!

The four captives, who were becoming an embarrassment to the War Cabinet, include Feroz Abbasi, 24, from Croydon, Martin Mubanga, 30, from Wembley, Richard Belmar, 25, from St John's Wood, and Moazzam Begg, 36, from Birmingham. The Mayor of London, Ken Livingston said they pose no threat to our security and he hopes the prisoners would go on to sue the US authorities for years of detention and abuse.

Livingston added, “I hope one day President Bush and those who authorised this use of low-level torture will face prosecution themselves.” This must include high-level members of the British government who were complicit in their incarceration and did not object to proposals for a secret military tribunal or even execution. There are two more UK subjects still remaining at GITMO, but they do not have citizenship.

A further 550 ‘enemy combatants’ from various nations are being held indefinitely at America’s Cuban concentration camp without charge. Those who have been freed tell tales of sexual abuse, humiliation, beatings and torture. Martin Mubanga claims marines used him like a ‘rent-boy.’ We have seen the pictures from Abu Ghraib [WARNING: EXTREMELY DISTURBING PICTURES!!! - editor's note] and if this is acceptable treatment of people caught in the ‘War on Terror’ the US are the terrorists!