SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
For Immediate Release
September, 17 2015, 10:00am EDT
Concerns raised over welfare of Guantanamo detainee released to Morocco
Lawyers at international human rights organization Reprieve are increasingly concerned for the safety and well-being of their client Younous Chekkouri, a Moroccan national who was recently released from Guantanamo Bay.
Reprieve representatives today learned that Mr Chekkouri has been transferred from Guantanamo and is in Morocco, but have been unable to meet or speak to him since the US handed him to Moroccan authorities. He is being held in an unknown location, and has not been allowed so far to contact his local lawyer, in apparent violation of Moroccan law.
UNITED KINGDOM
Lawyers at international human rights organization Reprieve are increasingly concerned for the safety and well-being of their client Younous Chekkouri, a Moroccan national who was recently released from Guantanamo Bay.
Reprieve representatives today learned that Mr Chekkouri has been transferred from Guantanamo and is in Morocco, but have been unable to meet or speak to him since the US handed him to Moroccan authorities. He is being held in an unknown location, and has not been allowed so far to contact his local lawyer, in apparent violation of Moroccan law.
Younous spent 14 years in US detention, despite being unanimously cleared for release by the six main US government security and intelligence agencies - including the CIA, FBI, and Departments of State and Defense - in 2009. This decision stated that Younous posed no threat whatsoever to either the US or its allies. In all the time Younous was held by the US, he was not charged with any crime and did not face a trial.
Younous' only concern upon his release was to be reunited with his family and to be allowed to start rebuilding his life.
Cori Crider, Reprieve's strategic director and Younous' lawyer, said: "There is no reason for the Moroccan authorities to prolong Younous' detention after all he has suffered over 14 years. Younous is thankful for all their diplomatic efforts to secure his release - it is inexplicable, therefore, that they would now prevent him from returning to those who love him and who are waiting to help him back onto his feet. He must be permitted to see his lawyers and his family without further delay."
Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay.
LATEST NEWS
'Unchecked Corruption': First US Sale of Venezuelan Oil Goes to Company of Trump Megadonor
"Trump took Venezuela's oil at gunpoint, and gave it to one of his biggest campaign donors," wrote one US senator.
Jan 19, 2026
The first US sale of Venezuelan oil since the Trump administration illegally attacked the South American country earlier this month went to the company of a trader who donated millions to President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.
The roughly $250 million sale of Venezuelan crude went to Vitol, a Geneva-based energy and commodity trading firm whose US arm is headquartered in Houston. The Financial Times reported late last week that John Addison, a senior trader at Vitol, was involved in his company's efforts to secure the deal.
Addison, who attended a recent White House meeting with other top oil executives, donated $6 million total to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign via several super PACs, including $5 million to MAGA Inc.
"Addison pledged to Trump at the [White House] event that Vitol would attain the best price possible for Venezuelan oil for the US, 'so that the influence you have over the Venezuelans will ensure that you get what you want,'" according to the Financial Times.
US Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), noted on social media that Vitol has a "criminal history of bribing foreign governments" and called the Venezuelan oil deal "fundamentally corrupt."
"Trump took Venezuela's oil at gunpoint, and gave it to one of his biggest campaign donors," Murphy wrote. "Vitol had to buy access to Trump because under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be able to get a deal like this."
Vitol is one of a number of corporations positioned to reap windfall profits from the Trump administration's assault on Venezuela, abduction of its president, and efforts to seize and indefinitely control the country's vast oil reserves.
As the Washington Post reported over the weekend:
Hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer’s firm Elliott Investment Management has for years been in the process of acquiring distressed Venezuelan-owned assets in the US and is on the cusp of owning them. After clearing final regulatory and legal approval, the firm can use them to make a considerable profit turning newly available Venezuelan oil into gasoline. The company that would be acquired by an Elliott affiliate is Citgo, the Houston-based refining firm owned by Venezuela’s state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). Citgo owns refineries in Illinois, Louisiana and Texas that are well-positioned to profit off the millions of barrels of Venezuelan oil that Trump says will be steered to US refineries because it is a particularly heavy blend of crude that is difficult to process. Only certain refineries, like those run by Citgo, are equipped to handle it.
Proceeds from the US sale of Venezuelan oil are being stashed in Qatar—an arrangement that critics said opens the door to additional corruption.
"After illegally and unconstitutionally striking Venezuela, Trump is now selling Venezuelan oil through a campaign donor, and funneling the proceeds to an offshore account in Qatar—creating a potential slush fund with no accountability, oversight, or guardrails for Trump and his allies," US Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) wrote late Sunday. "His continued abuse of power doesn’t serve the Venezuelan people or the American people—and it certainly doesn’t lower costs for Americans."
"This outrage," Booker added, "is yet another example of his unchecked corruption as he again ignores laws and enriches his friends, donors, and himself."
Keep ReadingShow Less
UN Chief: 2025 Was 'Profoundly Challenging Year for International Cooperation'
"We see powerful forces lining up to undermine global cooperation," António Guterres said at an event celebrating the UN General Assembly's 80th anniversary.
Jan 18, 2026
As the United Nations celebrates the 80th anniversary of its first General Assembly, Secretary-General António Guterres warned that militarism, fossil fuels, and tech-based disruption are threatening its mission of international collaboration at a time when it is urgently needed.
Guterres delivered his remarks on Saturday at the Methodist Central Hall in London, where the first UN General Assembly was held on January 10, 1946. The first UN Security Council meeting was held on January 17 of the same year, also in London.
"We see powerful forces lining up to undermine global cooperation," Guterres said.
He continued: "Last year, the UN reported that global military spending reached $2.7 trillion—over 200 times the UK’s current aid budget, or equivalent to over 70% of Britain’s entire economy. As the planet broke heat records, fossil fuel profits continued to surge. And in cyberspace, algorithms rewarded falsehoods, fueled hatred, and provided authoritarians with powerful tools of control."
"The General Assembly which we celebrate today exists because of a simple truth—humanity is strongest when we stand as one."
Guterres, whose term as secretary-general comes to an end at the close of 2026, reflected on the tumultuous decade he had presided over.
He began his term in 2017, in the wake of President Donald Trump's first electoral victory in the US and the Brexit vote in the United Kingdom. That year, he also spoke in the same location, he said, and warned of the escalation of local conflicts, the rise of artificial intelligence and other new technologies, and how national sovereignty was being used as an excuse to disregard human rights.
"Over the last decade," he said, "all of this and more has unfolded at warp speed. The conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan have been vicious and cruel beyond measure; artificial intelligence has become ubiquitous almost overnight; and the pandemic poured accelerant on the fires of nationalism—stalling progress on development and climate action."
"If this period has taught us anything," he continued, "it is that our challenges are ever more borderless, and ever more interconnected. The only way to address them is together. And that requires a robust, responsive, and well-resourced multilateral system."
But that system, he said, was "under threat."
"2025 was a profoundly challenging year for international cooperation and the values of the UN," he said. "Aid was slashed. Inequalities widened. Climate chaos accelerated. International law was trampled. Crackdowns on civil society intensified. Journalists were killed with impunity. And United Nations staff were repeatedly threatened—or killed—in the line of duty."
While Guterres did not call out any particular country or leader, the Guardian noted that Trump's decision to dramatically slash US humanitarian funding for the UN last year is the leading cause of its budget troubles. Early in 2026, Trump also withdrew the US from key treaties including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Guterres' remarks came the same day that Trump threatened new tariffs against eight long-time European allies over their opposition to his desire for the US to acquire Greenland, further throwing international alliances into chaos.
The UN leader called on the body to adjust to a shifting global reality without abandoning its mission.
"The world of 2026 is not the world of 1946," he said. "As global centers of power shift, we have the potential to build a future that is either more fair—or more unstable. If we wish to make it more fair, it is critical that the international system reflects today’s reality."
Despite the challenges he described, Guterres called on members of the United Nations Association-UK (UNA-UK), which organized Saturday's meeting, to continue with their work.
"In this moment when the values of multilateralism are being chipped away, it is up to us—in our capacity as professionals, as voters, and as members of organizations like the UNA-UK—to take a stand. More than ever, the world needs civil society movements that are fearless and persistent—that make it impossible for leaders to look away."
"The General Assembly which we celebrate today exists because of a simple truth—humanity is strongest when we stand as one," he continued. "But that unity does not start in the General Assembly—it starts here, with people’s movements like yours."
Keep ReadingShow Less
To Threat of Troop Deployment, Minneapolis Mayor Vows City 'Will Not Be Intimidated'
"The best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents and, in this case, military in Minneapolis," Mayor Jacob Frey said.
Jan 18, 2026
Responding to the news that the Department of Defense had put 1,500 active duty troops on standby for a potential deployment to Minnesota, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey had a clear message for the Trump administration: "We will not be intimidated by the actions of this federal government."
"This act was clearly designed to intimidate the people of Minneapolis, and here's the thing: We're not going to be intimidated," Frey told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning.
The news of the troop deployment was first broken by ABC and confirmed to the Washington Post late Saturday night. It came two days after President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act due to widespread protests against a major federal immigration enforcement operation in the Twin Cities that has already led to the death of legal observer Renee Good and the shooting and injuring of Venezuelan migrant Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.
It is not certain that the soldiers, who belong to two Alaska-based infantry battalions, will actually be deployed. The White House said it was typical for the Pentagon “to be prepared for any decision the President may or may not make.”
"I never thought in a million years that we would be invaded by our own federal government."
However, if they were deployed, Frey told Tapper it would be "ridiculous."
He noted that there are already around 3,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in the area compared with around 600 local police officers.
"The best way to get safety is not to have an influx of even more agents and, in this case, military in Minneapolis," he said.
Frey told Tapper that the situation that Minneapolis found itself in was "bizarre."
"I never thought in a million years that we would be invaded by our own federal government," he said.
However, he praised the response of ordinary people in the city: "One of the beautiful things that's taking place is that the people here in Minneapolis are not just resisting. They're standing up. They're standing up for their neighbors, they're loving people, they're making sure that they've got a ride to the grocery store, a safe walk to their car. They're making sure that they have those basic necessities that they need, because we've got a whole lot of people who are afraid to go outside at the risk of getting torn apart from their own families."
"In the face of a whole lot of adversity, I'm so proud to be from Minneapolis. I'm so proud to be the mayor of this awesome city with these extraordinary people," Frey said.
The news of the potential military deployment came the day after the revelation that the Department of Justice was investigating Frey as well as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over their criticism of federal immigration enforcement operations in the Minneapolis area.
Frey also spoke out against this second form of intimidation.
"If it were true, the targeting would be the product of performing one of the most basic responsibilities and obligations that I have as mayor, which is to speak on behalf of our great city, speak on behalf of our constituents," Frey told Tapper. "And that the federal government would be going after me because of that speech should be deeply concerning not just for people in Minneapolis, but for anybody throughout the country."
In addition to a potential federal deployment of the military, Gov. Walz also ordered the Minnesota National Guard to mobilize on Saturday.
"They are not deployed to city streets at this time, but are ready to help support public safety, including protection of life, preservation of property, and supporting the rights of all who assemble peacefully," the Minnesota Department of Public Safety wrote on Facebook.
Tapper asked Frey if he was worried about a situation in which ICE, CBP, and the military might end up physically fighting with the Minnesota National Guard and local law enforcement.
"We can't have that in America," Frey answered, adding that he hoped the judicial system would step up to restrict the Trump administration from invading American cities. Already, a federal judge has ruled that ICE must not retaliate against, pepper spray, or detain peace protesters and observers in Minnesota, and there are other lawsuits pending against the deployment.
Frey also appealed to people across the country.
"I know that you love your town, regardless of where you are," he said. "And just imagine what it would feel like if you suddenly had an administration deployment of troops, of agents come into you city by the thousands, vastly outnumber the police department, and cause chaos on your streets."
Frey added that there was a very simple way for ICE to resolve the situation.
"If the goal here is to create peace and safety and calm, there's a very clear antidote here, which is leave," he said.
Keep ReadingShow Less
Most Popular