Thursday, July 28, 2011

“In Gitmo I was punished with 30 days in darkness for feeding iguanas”

Guantanamo Bay continues to wreck lives, despite President Obama’s pledge to shut the notorious prison. RT spoke to one former prisoner, Murat Kurnaz, who says the US has not issued even a simple apology for his years of torment.


RT: Murat Kurnaz was held at Guantanamo Bay for five years before being released without charges. Mr. Kurnaz, have you ever been given apology or explanation by the Americans?

Murat Kurnaz: No they didn’t apologize and I don’t thing they will ever apologize for anything.

RT: You were arrested in Pakistan in 2001. Why were you there?

MK: Here in Germany I saw a group called Jamayat Tabliq. They are helping young people who have problems with drugs or homeless people who have problems at all. They originate from Pakistan. They have around 80 million members. It’s, I think, the biggest Islamic group. They are non-political. They are against war, of course. They are also hated by Al-Qaeda and [the] Taliban, because they are against war. When I went to Pakistan, I went to their school. They have each year, I think, between 30,000 and 40,000 students visiting that school. I was just one of them. So when I was captured and turned to the Americans, I was already on a bus close to the airport. I had already my plane ticket in my pocket. So I couldn’t understand why and what reason [I was stopped]. Jamayat Tabliq – everyone knows they are not interested in war and are against terrorism. More >>>


Location: Cayman Islands