Guantanamo returnee reunited with family

Manama: Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Salah Al Belushi was yesterday feted in Bahrain amid calls for the release of the two other Bahrainis who remain in custody there.

Al Belushi who on Sunday was reunited with his family after arriving from Guantanamo via Germany was released after five years spent in incarceration without charges following his arrest in 2001. He was 19 at the time.

Authorities thanked

The fourth Bahraini detainee to be released by the US authorities in less than one year was quizzed by the public prosecutor upon arrival, but the interrogation was part of the routine conducted in such cases and he was allowed to leave the building with his family. A special rehabilitation programme was prepared by the government to help him overcome possible psychological difficulties and reintegrate.

His father, Abdul Rahim, was jubilant and thanked the authorities and civil rights activists, particularly the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights former head Nabeel Rajab and the Bahraini Guantanamo Bay Detainees Committee, for their efforts to secure his release.

Committee head Shaikh Mohammad Khalid said that the return of Al Belushi was "a great day for justice" and that his relatives and friends were very pleased with the prevalence of justice."

"As we thank God for His mercy during the auspicious month of Ramadan, we pray that we will be able to see our last two detainees back in Bahrain soon," he told Gulf News.

Six Bahrainis were initially held at the US-run prison, but three, Kamal Hajji, Abdullah Al Nuaimi and Salman Bin Ebrahim, were repatriated last November.

With the release of Al Belushi, Juma Al Dossari and Eisa Al Murbati are the only Bahrainis held at the detention centre. "We will not rest until we see both of them home and reunited with their families and friends after all these strenuous years," said Khalid.

Bahrain's foreign minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa in a press statement said that the government would continue its coordination efforts with the Americans to release the two Bahrainis "based on mutual respect and friendship."