Surviving after Guantanamo Bay
Written by Adel Kamel Abdulla
December 29, 2006
Captivity
means isolation. We were in a military base, on an isolated island in
Cuba. It was as if we did not exist on Earth! We never used to see
anyone or anything nor receive any news. We could barely see sunlight.
Almost none of the letters that we wrote to our families were sent.
After a year at the Bay we knew something was wrong when we received
letters from our family saying they had not heard from us.
At
night the lights were so strong that it was difficult to know whether
it was night or day. We couldn’t sleep because it was constantly noisy.
There were lots of scorpions, insects, lizards and rats. We were
allowed a 3 minute shower per week. There were no clean clothes and
those we had were made of polyester, which was horrible in the hot and
humid weather.
The prison is under the control of
psychiatrists whose goal is to turn us crazy by the time we left, but I
think it’s they who are crazy now.
It was very difficult. I
lost hope in my ever being released. In those first few weeks at
Guantanamo prison our spirits were so low; we were depressed and
entirely miserable. We turned to God for help, spending as much time as
we could in prayer and reading the Holy Qur’an and as the days went on
we began to feel we were in God’s hands and that gave us all the
strength and patience we needed to survive Guantanamo.
Without
God’s help no one can tolerate that place for even one minute. Thanks
to God, our stay in the prison became almost easy, as if we were on a
picnic. We used to talk to each other, and joke around and make fun of
the soldiers. Although life there wasn’t easy, it became bearable.
I
wasn’t told that we were to be released until the day before. We had
noticed the guards had suddenly begun treating us differently. They
were nicer and became insistent upon certain things, like visiting the
hospital for a check-up which previously had been somewhat optional -
if you did not want to go they didn’t take you. They needed a medical
report to make sure I didn’t have any signs of torture on my body and
when I refused, a doctor and an officer came to persuade me. When I
asked if the medical report was for my release they said they did not
know. A day before leaving an officer came to me and said I was going
to be released but I did not believe him. I had heard that many times
by then and yet we had remained imprisoned. I told him, “I don’t
believe you, and you are a liar and this is a prank.
In
February 2004 we were promised that three out of the six of us Bahraini
detainees were to be released in less than three months. I remember
being very happy but not because I had a chance of leaving, they did
not actually inform us who would be released, but because I had hoped
that they would release the others. There were those who deserved to
leave more than me, like Juma Al Dossari. I saw the suffering and pain
of some of the inmates and I felt that I had the strength to stay
longer. When I refused to sign a document before my release the officer
threatened to keep me back and I answered that I don’t mind staying
another four years!
It was only the night that we left that I believed that we were truly being released.
In
truth I felt nothing upon my release. The release was meaningless
because my four years of imprisonment were wrongful. I felt that I was
wrongly targeted because I was a Muslim Arab. We the detainees, Arabs
and non-Arabs, had become one big family. We were very caring and
supportive to each other and after four years, I had adapted to life in
Guantanamo Bay. In leaving I felt I was leaving behind my family
because the inmates were genuinely my brothers.
The first thing
I wanted to do when reaching home again was to meet my family, to see
my mother, wife, daughter, brothers and sisters. Bahrain is the most
welcoming and friendly country in the Gulf. That is what I missed the
most in four years of captivity, my family and Bahrain - and all
Bahrainis!
I had imagined a totally different picture of my
arrival. I expected that the minute I reached Bahrain I would be
interrogated and arrested. I think we all feared an imprisonment that
would possibly be worse than Guantanamo. Our release was secured
diplomatically, through international pressure on the USA in which the
Bahrain government played its part. But Bahrain is just a small country
on the global stage and had furthermore pledged its support to America
in its ‘War on Terror’ and so we felt that our release was really just
a transfer.
Stepping off the plane I was welcomed very warmly
by a member of the Ministry of Interior. Hugs and kisses were exchanged
and they said, “Welcome to Bahrain”. We were then taken to the public
prosecution office, where we were informed of the government’s regards,
even from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and other members
of the government.
There were no documents to sign. We were told we were all innocent and that nothing exists, at all, against any of us.
If
a Bahraini travels for a few years and then comes back to Bahrain he
won’t find it difficult, but in my situation it’s harder, I did not get
my job back despite being promised. Bahrain’s cost of living has also
increased. Our financial status was hard hit during my detainment and
my side business is gone, which has caused difficulties in adjusting
back to normal life here. My situation is changed now. I get through
with the advice from my friends and people I know and that helps but I
received no professional help.
My main goal now is to make my
daily bread. If I was not detained I would be amongst those who have
sympathy for the detainees, and of course my social status would be
better but Guantanamo gave me the time to think about the way I lived
and the things I did. That’s the positive aspect of such an experience;
it improves one’s outlook on life. I identified how to improve myself
and live a better life. I think all of us who were there consider our
actions more and are more aware of our reality.
I still joke
around with my friends and family just like I used to before. My
friends were surprised I was so normal; they expected me to talk and
act differently. I said, “Why are you shocked, do you expect a guy who
has been arrested for four years to change so much? The Adel who left
four years ago is the same Adel who is back now.
What has
changed in me is the way I think, calculate and act. I am calmer and
settled now and I would tell people to be wiser, more aware of the life
that surrounds you and really think before acting.
I have
become famous now! I feel very touched when people who don’t know me
personally come up and say hello. There is real honesty and genuine
care and love and support in their approach. This is all the support
that they can give me. I feel embarrassed because I don’t know how to
thank them, and this has made me love Bahrainis even more and I can
only thank God that he has made me more loved by the people.
The
media is now placing more attention on us and I feel many journalists
have become personally involved in the case. I have been interviewed by
an American television reporter who came to Bahrain wanting to know the
truth about my four years in Guantanamo. Also an American movie studio
called ‘Shadow Box’ approached me. I agreed to share my story with the
media because I want to show people the hidden truth that is Guantanamo
Bay. But documentaries such as ‘The Road to Guantanamo’ can only show a
small portion, I’d say 10-15 per cent of what really occurs in a place
like that.
For me these films are an expression of frustration with American policies by those who are interested in justice.
People
in Bahrain are not all that aware of international news, they are more
concerned with Arabic news. But what surprised me was how little people
around the world know about Guantanamo. News agencies are fed only very
little news from the US and it consists mostly of lies. For example,
when it was announced that six detainees at the Bay were injured in
clashes with the guards, I believe that this came about because the
injuries sustained were so serious that they actually had to announce
it. I‘m talking about possible broken bones. When we were there we also
suffered serious injuries due to clashes and torture but it was never
announced. The world does not know anything about Guantanamo.
Adel
Kamel Abdulla spent nearly four years imprisoned at United States Naval
Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) as one of six Bahraini detainees
labelled ‘enemy combatants’ before being released on 4 November 2005
without charge. The former Ministry of Defence civilian employee was
arrested upon presenting himself to the Pakistan police after crossing
over the Afghanistan border in late 2001, where he says he had
travelled alone to join the Red Cross and provide humanitarian aid.
Adel had previously worked with local charity Al Aslah in Bahrain. This
item was also published in Bahrain Confidential.
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