Audacity of hope for Kenyan at Guantanamo detention centre

A Kenyan held at an American military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for nearly 10 years on terrorism charges is hopeful of returning home.

In a November 17, 2017 letter, Mr Mohamed Abdul Malik Bajabu tells his eldest sister Mwajuma Rajab Abdalla to be optimistic of his acquittal.

The four-page handwritten letter seen by the Sunday Nation, reached Kenya a few weeks ago, nearly five months after the family's patriarch died of cancer.

ATTACKS

No man is perfect... (and) this is just a test and it too shall pass; one day at a time,” Mr Bajabu tells his sister in in broken Kiswahili.

Ms Abdalla, Bajabu's mastery of Kiswahili has deteriorated as he normally converses in English or Arabic while in prison.

He was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit in February 2007 after being linked to several attacks, including the 2002 raid on an Israeli hotel in Kikambala, Kilifi, where more than 10 people died.

NO TRIAL

Police also linked Mr Bajabu to plans to attack a World Cross Country Championships in Mombasa in 2007, said his sister.

He was also suspected of bieng a member of the banned Islamic Party of Kenya.

In March 2007, Kenyan authorities flew him to Guantanamo Bay.

But Mr Bajabu, a father of three, is now one of the “forever prisoners” at the detention centre, meaning he is being held indefinitely without charge or trial.

WELL-BEHAVED

In recent years, the only way out for these prisoners is to be “cleared for release” by the Periodic Review Board (PRB), the military equivalent of a parole hearing.

The prisoners are expected to show they are well-behaved, that they do not hold extremist views, that they will have family or community support, and that they have employment prospects.

MODERATE

In his last appearance before the PRB in June 2017, Mr Bajabu said: “While here in detention, I continue to read and learn about farming and honey harvesting. I am a hardworking man and I am confident that I can run a farm and support my family upon my release.”

He also told the board, which comprises the heads of the US security agencies, that he would like to be repatriated to the Middle East.

“I am a peaceful man. I pose no threat to the United States or anyone. I am a moderate Muslim and do not believe in violence. My hope is to live in a peaceful society where I can rejoin my wife and family and raise my children,” he said.

CAMPAIGNS

Ms Abdallah said US officials have previously asked her whether she could take care of him if he was returned home and ensured he did not engage in criminal activities, "but nothing tangible came out of the talks".

She said the family always follows international news to know if the prison would be shut as had been indicated.

“Most countries have taken their prisoners. Why can’t Kenya bring him back?” she asked.

During his successful campaigns for the White House in 2008, Mr Barrack Obama promised to close the prison within a year.

DONALD TRUMP

When he got to office in 2009, however, his efforts were thwarted by the US Congress.

By the time he left office in January 2017, there were 40 inmates at the prison.

Hopes of an early release were dashed with the election of Donald Trump as US President in November 2016, said Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, Mr Bajabu's private counsel who works for human rights group Reprieve.

SECURITY

“Since Trump’s inauguration, detainees at GTMO have been refused clearance by the Periodic Review Board, even when they are harmless — the standards for clearance sometimes seem impossibly high,” she said ahead of Mr Bajabu's appearance last year.

Nonetheless, Mr Bajabu's family still hopes to reunite with him soon.

“We normally talk through Skype every three months,” Ms Abdallah said at her home in Mombasa.

“Last time, he told me not to worry about him. That he is concerned about my security. He said if he died on US soil, that would be his fate.”

HUNGER STRIKE

The family said Mr Bajabu had faced hardship and torture.

He was among prisoners who staged a 92-day hunger strike last year.

“He had surgery. He was tortured beyond human imagination,” his sister said.

She said his brother was in three chains initially but two had been unlocked — “an indication that he could be released soon”.