Relative Of Guantanamo Prisoner To Speak At GAAW 1916 Commemoration

galway | anti-war / imperialism | event notice Tuesday April 11, 2006 01:58 by Niall Farrell - Galway Alliance Against War

The brother of a Guantanamo prisoner Omar Deghayes, whose case has been taken up by Amnesty International, will address a Galway Alliance Against War 1916 commemoration at 12.30pm on Easter Sunday at Liam Mellowes statue in Galway. The local peace group has invited Abubaker Deghayes in order to raise the issue of Shannon airport being used by CIA jets involved in transporting prisoners to the infamous Guantanamo Bay camp.

According to a GAAW spokesperson: “For all we know Omar Deghayes, having been kidnapped and tortured in Pakistan, was transported via Shannon to Guantanamo Bay. Last weekend’s revelations that US-made military helicopters destined for Israel - to be used against the Palestinian people - had been brought through Shannon apparently unbeknownst to the Irish government underlines the fact that terrible things are going on in Shannon airport. We simply cannot believe US denials that victims of their “extraordinary renditions” are not passing through Shannon to Guantanamo or to even more deadly destinations. The Bush administration has only contempt for Irish sovereignty or indeed the independence of any country.
“Another reason for inviting Omar’s brother to speak at an Easter Commemoration is also to expose the hypocrisy of Fianna Fail in its attempt to identify with the ideals of Easter 1916. The Rising was about achieving an independent republic with an independent foreign policy, it was about preventing Irish participation in the First World War. Today, the Fianna Fail-led government is playing a willing role in the illegal war and occupation of Iraq by allowing US troops and munitions to travel through Shannon; it has implicated the Irish people in the deaths of over 100,000 Iraqis and it has forfeited an independent foreign policy.”
For information on the case of Omar Deghayes:
http://www.end-unlawful-imprisonment.org.uk/
http://www.save-omar.org.uk/