Guantanamo Record Makes You Wonder About 'The Quality Of Our Leadership'

Dr David Nicholl never thought that he would run the London Marathon to support the same people that he supported ten years ago.

Yet, he did it again this year, in aid of British resident Shaker Aamer and other inmates of the US detention centre at Guantanamo, Cuba, according to sputniknews.

He wore his orange 'Gitmo' outfit and chains to highlight the plight of the inmates.

"I put off wearing the suit till the last possible moment," the 50-year-old neurologist told Sputnik, "in case [US President Barack] Obama decided to release Shaker. Then I would have run without it like any other punter. I was hoping this year would be a victory run."

Shaker Aamer was born in Saudi Arabia, but lived in UK with a British wife and four children. He was imprisoned at Guantanamo since February 14, 2002. This was the longest imprisonment by a Brit in the detention camp. Last week, the US government sources opined that he may be freed in June.

Why was Shaker imprisoned? He was captured in Afghanistan and charged with being Osama bin Laden's translator. Though he denied it, it is said that he made confessions under torture. In 2007 and again in 2009, the US agreed to free him, yet the final release order was never signed, according to theindependent.

US President Obama had pledged to close Guantanamo. The British Prime Minister David Cameron had also urged the issue during a visit to Washington earlier this year. But it still remains undone. It is only now, with President Obama's closure drawing near, that Aamer stands a chance.

"It does make you wonder about the quality of our leadership in the US and in Britain," says Dr Nicholl.

"I don't know who it reflects worse on," his lawyer Clive Stafford Smith told Sputnik, "the US president for failing to make good on his promise, or the British government for failing to protect a British resident."

Dr Nicholl supports Aamer due to a moment in his childhood. "I grew up in Northern Ireland. I was very troubled by post 9/11 events - it was exactly the same as what happened in Northern Ireland in the early '70s when we had internment, and it was an absolute disaster. It's hard to get across to people that having a fair trial is actually good for your health in terms of reducing your chances of being blown up by a terrorist."

Though he wrote many times to the Tony Blair government, he found that it was of no use. "It was very obvious that they didn't give a monkey's about the Moazzem Beggs of this world. That's why I ran the marathon then (2005)."

Just a few days ago, he sprinted around the White House in the orange suit. But again, it was of no use. "Not one US journalist turned up," he says. "That's what worries me - people haven't got a clue what's going on."

However, there does seem some more awareness of the issue today. "There were MPs from all parties saying this is nuts, he needs to come back to London now."

Both the heads of state should take action, he said. "What's the point of politicians if they can't take action?

"I think Obama probably does want to release the prisoners who've been cleared, but he's been very weak. There is a lot of tension between the State Department and the Pentagon. But there's only one commander-in-chief."

The main reason is probably because "Aamer knows too much" about MI5's involvement in torture, even as there were suicides of three inmates in June 2006.

"We've got to the point where Obama should put his foot down vis-a-vis Congress, and Cameron should do something public. For Cameron to meet Shaker's family would be a big step - he doesn't have to say anything, just that visual would be a very shrewd move."