Michael de Laine

By Michael de Laine, Copenhagen, 14 November 2008

Two US attorneys left Copenhagen late this afternoon after visiting Denmark in an effort co-ordinated by Amnesty International to relocate 50 prisoners from the US’ Guantanamo internment base on Cuba in 13 European countries. Their efforts appear to have failed.

Before leaving Denmark, the attorneys were due to talk to the Danish parliament’s foreign affairs committee in the hope of persuading the government and parliament to let three of these 50 prisoners, who have been cleared of the charges laid against them for terrorism and connections with Al-Qaeda, reside in Denmark.

Europe has been very critical of the Guantanamo internment base and it is about time Europeans turn the rhetoric into action, said one of the attorneys, Michael E Mone.

“We’re not saying that Europe is as guilty as the US,” Mone told the Ritzau’s Bureau newswire. “What the US has done at Guantanamo is a tragedy, but European countries have also participated in it. Their hands aren’t clean.”

Mone represents Ojbek Jamoldinivich Jabbarov, one of the three people the attorneys want Denmark to take.

Jabbarov was arrested while travelling in Afghanistan in 1999 and was moved to Guantanamo in 2002, where he is still interned despite being cleared of the charges in February 2007.

“My client is a nice, intelligent young man who deserves a chance,” Mone said. “The only thing he wants is a safe and democratic place to live.”

A 30-year-old Uzbek, Jabbarov cannot be repatriated to Uzbekistan because of the risk of persecution and torture there, according to the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the US State Department.

“The US won’t take these people because it would be the same as admitting that they were wrong,” Mone told the Politiken newspaper. “It just won’t happen.”

The other attorney, Allison Lefrak, who represents a Russian named Ravil Mingasov, added: “No. To do it would require a greater person than George W Bush.”

The attorneys hope that the situation will change under the new US president, Barack Obama, who has promised to close the base.

Danish politicians are split on the issue.

“Under no circumstances will we take Guantanamo prisoners,” Søren Espersen, the foreign affairs spokesman of the right-wing Danish People’s Party, said to Politiken. “It’s an American problem and they must solve it themselves.”

“The Bush administration has caused this Guantanamo mess and Obama would like to close the base - we should help in that,” said Kamal Qureshi, human rights spokesman for the Socialist People’s Party, to Ritzau. “We want the foreign minister to take a stand on this situation.”

The foreign minister, Per Stig Møller, told Politiken that the government “supports efforts that can lead to Guantanamo closing.” But, he added, “It cannot be ruled out that among the named detainees there may be people who are a potential security risk.” He later told Ritzau: “None of these detainees has anything to do with Denmark. The US must rehouse the people it’s releasing from Guantanamo if they think there not dangerous.”

The Social Democrats agree with the foreign minister. “It’s too easy for the Americans if Western Europe saves them when they’ve done something so wrong,” said Ole Hækkerup, Social Democrat member of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee. “A western democracy must not get off so lightly after it’s breached fundamental democratic principles.”

“They won’t be coming here if they are still accused,” said Lefrak. “Our clients are with 100% certainty not terrorists. They’re not a danger to society.”