Switzerland takes 2 Uighur brothers held at Guantanamo

[babylonsister]

Switzerland takes 2 Uighur brothers held at Guantanamo

By Carol Rosenberg | Miami Herald


The Swiss government rebuffed Chinese protests Wednesday and agreed to give sanctuary to two brothers from China's Muslim Uighur minority who had been cleared for release from Guantanamo, but feared persecution if they went home.

The announcement represented a breakthrough for Arkin Mahnut, 45, and his brother Bahtiar, 32, now held at Guantanamo's Camp Iguana, the chain-link-fence enclosed compound reserved for prisoners who've been ordered released.

Bahtiar had been offered sanctuary in Palau but refused to leave Guantanamo without Arkin, who reportedly has developed a mental illness during his eight years in U.S. detention. While a dozen Uighurs recently have been given sanctuary elsewhere, no country was willing to take Arkin.

Switzerland, which had earlier taken in an Uzbek man from Guantanamo, said in a statement it was doing its part to "contribute to the closing of the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention center, which it had criticized as being contrary to international laws."

"There is no evidence that the three might have had or have any contact with terrorist groups," it added. "The USA neither charged them with any crime nor sentenced them and in 2005 declared they could be accepted by other countries."

more...

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/83667.html

[Hell Hath No Fury]

1. I wish the Uighurs would sue this shit out of us.

And all the other innocent prisoners held by us. They deserve justice and a lifetime of cash. :cry:

[aquart]

3. When do they see their families again.

[Blue_Tires]

2. there was a great piece in national geographic about them

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/12/uygurs/teague-text

excerpt:

"...The Chinese government realized that it had a problem in Xinjiang, much as it had a problem in neighboring Tibet. Along with regulating mashraps—those traditional gatherings—the state monitored services at mosques, afraid they might provide a platform for dissidents. In general, officials downplayed the unrest as the work of isolated "ruffians" in a Uygur population that was otherwise blissful. In early September 2001, Xinjiang Communist Party Secretary Wang Lequan announced in Urumqi that "society is stable, and people are living and working in peace and contentment."

A few days later Beijing received a potent and unexpected propaganda tool: September 11.

As America and much of the West launched the "war on terror," China recognized the momentum of global public opinion and chose a new tack. The shift happened so fast it came with an almost audible crack. On October 11 a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry described China as "a victim of international terrorism." Then the government issued a report on unrest in Xinjiang blaming none other than Osama bin Laden. "It's an effective strategy," says James Millward, a professor at Georgetown University and an expert on Xinjiang, "because in America we see Muslims somewhere who are unhappy and maybe even violent, and we assume it's because of religious reasons.""

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Eerily familiar -- "HOW DARE the Uygurs live on top of China's oil and minerals!! AND then on top of that have the nerve to request a cut of the action!!"

[Blue_Tires]

4. ttt