Gitmo was hell on earth

IN 2001, a Sudanese journalist was about to cross the border into Afghanistan when he was arrested by the United States military in Pakistan and detained as an “enemy combatant” in Guantanamo Bay.
Sami Al Hajj was the only journalist ever held at the notorious prison for seven years and was never charged.
Currently, the 40-year-old heads the newly-formed public liberties and human rights department of the Al-Jazeera television network.

At the Criminalise War Conference and War Crimes Tribunal 2009, he shared the trauma and torture he underwent, stripped naked and fed with a tube while locked up in Guantanamo.
“I was arrested without any mercy, the US army suspected me to be a journalist who wanted to interview
Osama bin Laden. They did not bother to hear the truth,” said Sami, adding that detainees from all over the world, including Bosnia and Indonesia, were brought to Guantanamo.

The detainees were not allowed to contact their families, neither were they told why they were held.
“The worst part is, we did not know the time for Ramadan fasting, prayer or festive celebration, including Hari Raya,” said Sami, who was a cameramen-turned-journalist.
He said the US army also had no respect for other religions, adding that its personnel stepped on the Quran and threw the holy book into the toilet bowl.

“If the detainees were sick or injured, they were not sent for any medical treatment but were left behind until the injury became serious and some of them got their legs cut from the ankle,” said Sami.
He said the media had to play their role and deliver fair stories, especially on Guantanamo and the war to let the public know the real situation.

Sami served as cameraman for Al-Jazeera since 2000, before he was promoted to journalist.
“Through this conference, I hope Malaysia can set a platform to find a solution to combat war, and educate
the public and the media. I do hope Tun Dr Mahathir (Mohamad) can help to voice out at the international
level to stop war,” he said.
The four-day conference was launched yesterday by former prime minister Dr Mahathir, who is also the Perdana Global Peace Organisation chairman

Bernama
Friday, October 30th, 2009 06:08:00