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JUSTICE FOR DETAINEES NOW! Sign the petition JUSTICE FOR UK DETAINEES Protest against the internments at Belmarsh prison, Sunday 4 April 2004 "Someone must have been telling lies about Joseph K., for without having done anything wrong he was arrested one fine morning." From 'The Trial' by Joseph Kafka With speakers, live performance and signing of expressions of solidarity with the detainees being held without trial.
NO JUSTICE: The Home Secretary has publicly pledged to fight for a ‘fair deal’ for those British citizens still held by the US at Guantanamo Bay. Yet Britain has been complicit in those ongoing detentions and itself continues to hold 14 foreign nationals who have never been convicted of, or even charged, with any offence. These men are detained under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, which allows police to arrest people who are not suspected of actually committing any offences or contravening any laws, on the basis of secret evidence neither they nor their lawyers are allowed to see. They are being held indefinitely on the basis that they are ‘terrorist suspects’ who threaten national security. They were never questioned by the police. They will not go to trial. Most of them are being held in high security at HMP Belmarsh, in cells described as ‘ concrete coffins’ and in conditions which are tantamount to torture. It is cruel and inhuman treatment to keep people locked up in isolation, without any prospect of release or trial, and without telling them why they are detained or when they might be released. The psychological pressure they are suffering is immense (one detainee is now in Broadmoor). CAMPACC demands the immediate release of anyone detained under this anti-terrorism legislation especially those interned without trial. We demand repeal of all such anti- terrorism laws. Come and protest at Belmarsh; let the detainees know that they have not been forgotten. Speakers include: Jenny Jones, Deputy Mayor of London; Gareth Peirce, human rights lawyer; Jean Lambert MEP; Helen John, a Vice-Chair CND; Dr G. Siddiqui, Leader of the Muslim Parliament; Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP; Shami Chakrabarti, Liberty; Liz Davies, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, representatives from Peace & Justice in East London; Paul Donovan, journalist; Gareth Evans, Voices UK This event is sponsored by: Campaign Against Criminalising
Communities (CAMPACC), Performances from: Clear Air Turbulence theatre and Double Negative music. We will also be writing messages to the detainees which will be passed on to them by their lawyers. Directions & trains: Belmarsh prison is on Western Way, London, SE28, just north of Plumstead station. Trains leave every half-hour (e.g. 11.31am) from Charing Cross to Plumstead station, arriving a half-hour later. Trains stop on the way at London Bridge and Greenwich. From East London, you can connect via the DLR going from Stratford to Greenwich stations. CLICK ON THIS MAP WHICH GIVES DIRECTION
FROM THE STATION TO THE PRISON: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x=545250&y=1792 Contact: CAMPACC, www.cacc.org.uk,
Estella on 020 7250 1315 or Fahim on 07818 Sign the petition against internment without trial
End these detentions We would like to express our
concern regarding the continued detention without trial of
13 foreign nationals in British prisons.
There are eight people currently being held at Belmarsh prison
in south London and five in other prisons. Many of the detainees
have been held for more than 18 months, resulting in a growing
deterioration of their physical and mental health. We call on
the British government to either charge and try the individuals
before a fully accredited court of law, or release them. The
detention of these individuals without showing any just cause
is inhumane and violates the principles of freedom and justice.
We are also concerned about the detention of more than 600 people
at Guantánamo Bay. Four of these individuals are British
citizens. Like the internment cases here, no just cause has been
shown for those being held. We urge the British government to
not only secure their release and repatriation, but also use
its good offices to press for the charging or release of all
others being held at Guantánamo. The undersigned will
be among those speaking at a rally organised by the Campaign
Against Criminalising Communities at midday outside Belmarsh
prison tomorrow.
Listen to us We were arrested in December 2001 and taken straight to Belmarsh
prison. We know that the police in this country have enormous
powers to investigate suspected terrorists. Why did no one ever
speak to us? Why were we never asked a single question before
being locked up as terrorists? We have never had a trial. We
were found guilty without one. We are imprisoned indefinitely
and probably forever. We have no idea why. We have not been told
what the evidence is against us. We are here. Speak to us. Listen
to us. Tell us what you think and why. If you did, you would
no longer believe we were a threat to this country. You would
think perhaps that there was not the emergency you have imagined
here. Everyone is giving their opinion about us. Why not think
of coming to us first, rather than locking us up and never speaking
to us? 180 protestors from a wide coalition of groups gathered to protest against continuing detention without charge or trial for 13 people in the UK. The group signed a beautiful specially made book with messages for the detainees inside Belmarsh. Other letters were sent from Scotland with hundreds of signatures gathered by Scotland against Criminalising Communities including MSPs, human rights and refugee campaigns. Other messages of support, including poems,were also sent, including from a number of eminent Scottish writers. The protest got off to a noisy start with samba from Rhythms of Resistance, standing here with the People's Freedom Front, highlighting the plight of political prisoners in Turkey
Speakers condemned in many
ways the injustice being meted out to those interned and
their families
and the need to charge or release them: Jenny Jones, Green Party Deputy Mayor of London, spoke of the need for social justice in a country that prides itself on democracy and fairness.
Jean Lambert Green Party MEP spoke about the false choice being given to us between safety and justice. She said that in the European Parliament many of the Labour MPs did not participate in the recent vote on the report on Fundamental Human Rights in the EU because they were embarrassed and divided (Britain has derogated from Article 5 of the European Human Rights Convention in order to intern people without trial). The report criticised the derogation but was lost by 7 votes because the Labour MEPs didn't vote so the EU has no position. This conflicts with their criticism of human rights elsewhere including Guantanamo. She also spoke of the wife of one of the detainees who cannot afford to visit her husband and has been warned off going. She had a 2 month old baby when her husband was taken away. Her mental health is deteriorating - having no idea when her husband will be released.
MC Incyte, from Double Negative, rapped 3 fantastic poems, one of which was about always being picked out by customs officials when coming back from mainland Europe.
Paul Donovan, campaigning journalist, called on other journalists to question more the assumptions and information given to them and to be truly independent. He spoke of the lessons to be learned from the Irish situation and the internment powers of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Sait, from CAMPACC and Respect, spoke of the fear of being detained within the Kurdish community inflicted by the Terrorism Act 2000 and how the Act aims to deter dissent. Chris Nineham, from the Stop the War Coalition, highlighted the contradiction between the talk of freedom and democracy with the criminalising of migrant communities as the government is trying to justify the 'war on terror'. He mentioned the 'handover' in Iraq in June which is a complete sham - the Iraqi army will be under the control of US forces and the governing body will be directed appointed by the US. Dr G. Siddiqui, Leader of the Muslim Parliament, said that the Taliban and Al Qaeda were the very people who were supported by the West at one point but the detainees are being held because of alledged association with these groups. The spiritual leaders of the Taliban met with ministers David Blunkett and Mike O'Brian in London last week which shows the hypocrisy of the situation. The muslims are the new enemies - in the UK over the last 3 or 4 years over 50,000 muslims have been stopped and searched yet only 540 have been arrested, 9o charged and 5 convicted. Young muslims are losing confidence in the rule of law in the UK. The government is saying that the muslim community has to be within the law yet the government can be above it.
Liz Davies, of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers, noted that it was the UK government who introduced the legislation for the European Convention on Human Rights and yet now shows contempt for it. The Northern Ireland internments were eventually declared illegal by the European Court. There are other laws under which the detainees could be tried. Terrorist laws are used to suppress dissent, criminalise communities and harass protesters such as those going to protest at the US base at Fairford. Rory, from Vatan magazine campaigning for human rights in Turkey, who was brought to trial under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2000 spoke about his case which was thrown out recently. If the cases of the detainees were also held in an open court then it is likely that they would also be thrown out. The detainees are being kept in appalling conditions, similar to those across the world. Des Howells, from Peace and Justice in East London, spoke of how the group formed after 11 September 2001 and the work they are doing in their community. She mentioned one detainee who had been imprisoned because of charity work for Chechnya although this is not illegal. Helen John, peace activist and a vice-chair of CND, spoke of the sadness of the gathering. As someone who has been in prison she spoke of the horror and uncertainty that the detainees must be experiencing. CND is campaigning against the weapons and infrastructure, such as Menwith Hill where many protestors got arrested recently, which is creating these problems in the first place. She mentioned the island of Diego Garcia where the British Government expelled the population so that the US could build a base there, used in bombing of Afghanistan and Iraq. People are now being detained at Diego Garcia.
Poet Beth Junor sent the following poem which was read out: LAMENT FOR GUANTANAMO BAY I start from the point of knowing, A few centimetres of film: Guantanamo Bay is bleeding Guantanamo Bay is mourning, The protestors face Belmarsh prison for 2 minutes of silence for those detained without trial inside.
At one of the gates of Belmarsh, a reminder of the detentions elsewhere.
A final vigil looking towards the block where the detainees are held.
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Campaign Against Criminalising Communities