Posted on 09/28/2009 6:20:08 PM PDT by Saije
BAHTIYAR MAHNUT, a detainee at the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, learned a few weeks ago that the Pacific island nation of Palau had invited him to settle there.
It should have been cause for celebration, especially for a man who desperately wants to be free. But, to the surprise of his lawyers, Bahtiyar has turned down the offer. He wishes to remain a prisoner, they say, so he can look after his older brother, a fellow detainee.
The brothers’ saga, as related by their attorneys and military records, could transpire only in the context of Guantánamo Bay and comes at a critical juncture for the Obama administration, which is struggling to meet a January 22nd deadline to shutter the 223-detainee prison...
The brothers are Uighurs, residents of China who are considered separatists by Beijing, but are not enemies of the US. The brothers were picked up separately in Afghanistan and Pakistan soon after the US launched attacks against al-Qaeda and the Taliban in retaliation for the 9/11 attacks.
Since at least 2003, the US has tried to find homes for the brothers and 20 other captured Uighurs. Five went to Albania in 2006; four were sent to Bermuda in June. Most countries have been reluctant to accept Uighurs and risk angering China.
In recent weeks, however, Palau has agreed to accept 12 of the 13 remaining Uighurs, according to the justice department. The only detainee not invited by Palau was Bahtiyar’s older brother, Arkin Mahmud (45), who has developed mental health problems that are apparently too serious to be treated in the sparsely populated country, said his attorney, Elizabeth Gilson.
To make matters worse, according to Gilson and military records, Arkin is only a prisoner because he went searching for Bahtiyar after the younger brother left their homeland...
(Excerpt) Read more at irishtimes.com ...
They don’t want to leave the place!
Nobody wants them
Huh! I’ll be switched. Reading the entire article gave me a bit of sympathy for a couple Uighurs. Whoda thunk it.
“Reading the entire article gave me a bit of sympathy for a couple Uighurs.”
I felt the same way. And nobody seems to have an answer.
Paulau invited them?
Lies and hogwash.
They don’t mention why Palu even bothered to take these scum.
200 million plus periodic review.
The actual amount is probably far more.
No Way. ex Gitmo Uighurs picnicking at the American Embassy in Bermuda?
''Some enchanted evening,
''You may see a Uigher
''You may see a Uigher
''In Guan-tan-i-mo''
Don't believe the Amway stuff, it's a cover. Mormons have been using it for years.
Thanks ... I needed that.
;-)>
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