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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.
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House Republicans late Sunday unveiled legislation that analysts said would rip Medicaid coverage from millions of low-income Americans—including children and people with disabilities—to help fund tax breaks that would disproportionately benefit the wealthy.
The bill text released by the House Energy and Commerce Committee is a section of the sprawling budget reconciliation package that Republicans are hoping to complete as soon as Memorial Day.
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With the stated goal of combating fraud, the GOP bill would implement a slew of new reporting and screening requirements to check Medicaid recipients' eligibility—changes that analysts said would ensnare many in procedural red tape, resulting in large-scale loss of coverage.
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However, as The Associated Pressreported Sunday:
Hours after the news, Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar's media attaché, in a statement said, "Reports that a jet is being gifted by Qatar to the United States government during the upcoming visit of President Trump are inaccurate."
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Weissman continued:
"The legal counsel who advised that this gift is OK because Trump will take personal control of it (through his library) only after leaving office should resign immediately, in shame and disgrace. The situation is no different than if the Qataris gave $400 million in cash to Trump and told him to keep it under his bed until 2029, when he could spend it freely. Except possibly it's worse, because he will use the plane in the interim, at great cost to the U.S. taxpayer, who will have to upgrade it.
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Congressman Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) said: "The level of corruption from President Trump and his White House is unlike anything we have ever seen in American history. It is appalling and criminal. Openly taking bribes."
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) noted that the reporting comes amid issues at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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This article has been updated with comment from Ali Al-Ansari, Qatar's media attaché.
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