Gulf | Bahrain
Ex-inmate rediscovers life outside Guantanamo
Juma Al Dossary, a former Bahraini Guantanamo prisoner who tried to commit suicide 13 times during his five-year detention, is easing into a new "tranquil and placid" life, a relative has said.
- By Habib Toumi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 01:22 February 22, 2008
- Image Credit: AP
- A guard in the exercise area in this file photo at Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba.
Manama: Juma Al Dossary, a former Bahraini Guantanamo prisoner who tried to commit suicide 13 times during his five-year detention, is easing into a new "tranquil and placid" life, a relative has said.
"My uncle wants to put everything behind him and move on with his life. He got married last month and now has a steady job and a stable family life," Nawaf Al Dossary his nephew, on Thursday told Gulf News.
"He has received valuable help and he is coping very well with the aftermath of Guantanamo."
Juma Al Dossary, who has dual Bahrain-Saudi citizenship, was released last July and was the last of the six Bahrainis to leave the US-run centre.
Seven months after his reunion with his family, Juma, 33, is putting behind the hopelessness and despondency that marked his incarceration.
"He seems to be reborn into a new life and does not want us to dwell on the years he suffered in what could probably be described as the world's most infamous prison. He does not mention his suffering in his conversations with us and remains well focused on his work and future," said Nawaf.
The former prisoner, like the other Saudi former detainees, was admitted into a "soft approach" rehabilitation programme launched by Saudi authorities to keep them from relapsing into extremism.
The programme includes cleansing minds, finding jobs and offering facilities to help their integration.
"I am happy that it has worked wonders with my uncle. He is back to his old vivacious ways, obviously positively surviving the terrible years at the detention centre. He is also happily married and has a steady job that helps him look after himself and his family," said Nawaf.
Juma's father died after a long battle with cancer while his son was detained and pleas from the family to the US authorities to allow him to spend some time with his father on his deathbed were rejected.
"He now wants to spend as much time as possible with his family and wants to be better acquainted with his 13-year-old daughter from a previous marriage that ended in divorce," said Nawaf.
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