Sanaa rejects trial of its detainees in Guantanamu, militarily
Yemen, Local, 8/7/2003

The Yemeni government has rejected the trial of Yemeni citizens detained in Guantanamu base, Cuba before American military courts and renewed call to hand them over to be tried in Yemen.

The Yemeni foreign minister Abu baker al-Qurabi said that Sanaa "is still like many other countries in the world pressuring the USA and demanding it to hand over the Yemenis detained under the pretext of terrorism to Yemen," despite the fact that Washington did not respond to requests made by human rights organizations to this effect.

The Yemeni official weekly al-Wahda ( unity) quoted al-Qurabi as saying that some of the arrested persons "have false Yemeni passports and later evidence proved that they are not Yemenis." He explained that there are several Yemeni detainees in the USA and the information we have say that most of those who entered the US illegally and are not among those who acquired the American nationality." He stressed that the Yemeni foreign ministry follows up on the conditions of the detainees through its embassy and general consulate and that there are lawyers who defend them according to the American law.

In December, 2002, the Yemeni authorities announced that the number of the Yemenis who were transported to Guantanamu base among those who were arrested in Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2001 reached 84.

The American authorities hold in Guantanamu some 680 persons since the war against Afghanistan, suspected to have ties with al-Qaida organization or the Taliban movement.

Previous Stories:
  Yemen: arresting 6 members of Hatat group   (8/1/2003)
  Yemeni parliamentary delegation in Germany to ask for handing over al-Mu'ayad   (7/26/2003)
  Yemen seeks to stop German decision to hand al-Mu'ayad to Washington   (7/22/2003)

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