International
Guantánamo expresses criticize its use to detain migrants: “It’s a black hole”
The Yemeni Mansoor Adayfi spent 14 years in Guantánamo and ended up released without charges. Along with him, 15 other former inmates criticize that the Donald Trump Administration has expanded the use of the naval base to detain undocumented migrants: “No one deserves to be thrown into a system created to erase them,” they say in an open letter.
“Guantánamo is not just a prison: it is a place where the law is deformed, dignity is stripped of and suffering is hidden behind barbed wires. We live it. We know the metallic noise of the doors, the weight of the shackles and the silence of a world that looked away,” says that letter to which EFE had exclusive access.
The letter is promoted by Adayfi, coordinator of the Guantánamo Project within CAGE International.
Guantánamo, as he adds in an interview with EFE, “is a black hole. It can’t be called a prison or detention center because that means there are certain rights.”
Therefore, in his opinion, we should not focus on the treatment that newcomers may have, but on why they send them there in the first place and stop it: “Guantánamo is one of the greatest human rights violations of the 21st century,” he emphasizes from Serbia.
Its London-based organization says it challenges the “state oppression” inspired by the “War on Terrorism” launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. (11S), where about 3,000 people died.
CAGE International defends the right to due process and in the past has criticized attempts to tarnish its reputation for the cases it leads.
Trump made the decision to expand the use of Guantánamo on January 29 with an executive order to enable 30,000 beds at that naval base in Cuba for undocumented migrants.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) has been operating there for years a detention center managed independently of the prison for suspected jihadism, but until now it had only received a limited number of people intercepted at sea, mostly from Haiti and Cuba.
“This order not only allows injustice, it guarantees it. Detaining migrants in Guantánamo denies them constitutional protections, trapping them in the same legal limbo that we endure. This deliberate ambiguity allows abuse, just as it happened with us. We know firsthand what happens with a system designed to break people,” say the former hostages.
Among them are the Moroccan Ahmed Errachidi, the Algerians Lakhdar Boumediene and Sufyian Barhoumi, the Tunisian Hisham Sliti or the British Tarek Dergoul, Moazzam Begg, all repatriated without charges.
For the signatory group, sending migrants to Guantánamo is not a matter of security.
“It’s about power and control and using the darkness of Guantánamo to hide another injustice,” they add.
Earlier this month, a group of 15 human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), actually asked the Government for access to migrants sent there, denouncing a lack of transparency about their legal situation.
The first prisoners arrived in Guantánamo in 2002, as part of that ‘War on Terrorism’ launched by former Republican President George W. Bush (2001 – 2009) after 11S. Of the nearly 780 that there were, there are 15, of which only two are convicted.
For the ex-prisoners who support the letter, not closing that prison or taking into account its legacy has allowed both injustices to continue and “its expansion.”
Trump promised to send there “the worst illegal criminal immigrants who are a threat to the American people.”
“We refuse to allow others to be swallowed by the same nightmare that we endure. No one deserves to be thrown into a system created to erase them. We will not stop talking or fighting. We will not allow the horrors of Guantánamo to be repeated,” say the former inmates.
His message is clear. Not only do they want the prison to be closed and the executive order revoked, they also warn the Trump Administration that justice will be done. “Someday he will be accountable.”
International
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.
Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.
The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.
Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.
Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.
International
U.S. and Iran Maintain Ceasefire as Trump Expresses Optimism Over New Talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that there are “good chances” of reaching an agreement with Iran, as both sides maintained a ceasefire for the third consecutive day following weeks of escalating hostilities.
Trump expressed optimism about the possibility of resuming diplomatic negotiations aimed at ending the conflict, which began in late February and has raised international concerns over its impact on global markets and energy supplies.
The fighting has remained suspended since Saturday, after the United States resumed airstrikes against Iran amid a dispute over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil shipments. The renewed military action had previously caused the collapse of an earlier ceasefire agreement.
Asked about the prospects for negotiations aboard Air Force One, Trump said: “I have a lot of patience… We’ll see what happens. I think there are good chances that something could happen.”
The U.S. president also highlighted Washington’s military capabilities, saying: “We have a lot of ammunition,” while adding that he would like to have more resources due to U.S. support for Ukraine.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Trump was allowing diplomatic efforts more time, explaining that the president was “giving some space to the talks” while maintaining that Washington remains prepared to take action if necessary.
Meanwhile, tensions continue in other areas of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia reported that it intercepted drones launched from Iraq by groups allied with Tehran and urged the Iraqi government to take measures to prevent further attacks.
International
Police Investigate After Remains of Five Newborns Found in French Apartment
French authorities have opened a murder investigation after the discovery of human remains believed to belong to five newborn babies inside an apartment in the historic center of a city, the local prosecutor’s office reported Monday night.
According to prosecutors, a 32-year-old woman had given birth at home on Sunday to a healthy baby before being taken to a hospital for medical care.
The discovery was made after the woman’s 32-year-old partner began searching the residence after reportedly learning, once again and at a late stage, that she had been pregnant.
During the search, the man found what appeared to be human remains and informed the hospital, which then alerted prosecutors.
A forensic doctor determined that the remains likely belonged to five newborn infants. Authorities have not yet established the circumstances or motive behind the case.
Investigators have not been able to interview the mother, who remains hospitalized following the delivery.
Prosecutors also confirmed that the couple has two other children, aged eight and nine years old. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to clarify the events surrounding the discovery.
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
U.S. and Iran Maintain Ceasefire as Trump Expresses Optimism Over New Talks
Police Investigate After Remains of Five Newborns Found in French Apartment
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