Movers and Shaker

Nicholas Watt writes:

Jeremy Corbyn has joined forces with former Tory cabinet ministers Andrew Mitchell and Dominic Grieve to call for the release of Shaker Aamer, the last British resident held in Guantánamo Bay. 

In a parliamentary early day motion (EDM), a cross-party group of MPs says that terrorism will only be defeated by upholding the rule of law, whose protection should apply to Aamer. 

The MPs hope the Commons motion, which is also signed by the former shadow home secretary David Davis and the former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, will highlight the case of Aamer, who was was seized by bounty hunters in Afghanistan and handed over to US forces in December 2001. 

Two months later, he was rendered to the US military prison on Cuba. US authorities have made it clear that they have no intention of charging him. 

Aamer, who was born in Saudi Arabia and has four children with his British wife, has twice been approved for release from Guantánamo. 

The first time was in 2007 under George W Bush, followed in 2010 by Barack Obama’s Guantánamo Review Task Force.

David Cameron has raised Aamer’s case with Obama twice this year – at their meeting in the White House in January and at the G7 summit in Bavaria in June.

Aamer has accused UK security and intelligence officials of falsely claiming that he was a member of an al-Qaida network in London.

The EDM, written in formal parliamentary language, “Calls on the US Government to release Shaker Aamer from his imprisonment in Guantanamo Bay. Notes that he has now been incarcerated for 13 years without charge. Notes that he has twice been cleared for release and transfer under President Bush (2007) and President Obama (2009). Supports the call by the Prime Minister, David Cameron, for his release and return to the UK. Further notes the unanimous resolution of the House of Commons of 17 March 2015 that Shaker Aamer be released. Asserts that the defeat of terrorism will only be achieved by upholding the principle of the Rule of Law – to the protection of which Mr Shaker Aamer is entitled.”

Grieve served as attorney general in the last parliament, a role which allowed him to attend cabinet. Mitchell was international development secretary before briefly serving as Tory chief whip.

Corbyn recently travelled to Washington with Mitchell, Davis and the Labour MP Andy Slaughter, who also signed the EDM, to lobby for the release of Aamer.