Kenyan Man Detained in a US Military Base for 10 Years Optimistic of Release

A Kenyan man who has remained in custody at a US military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for nearly a decade on terrorism charges has not lost hopes of returning home some day.

In a letter dated November 17th, 2017 and sent to his elder sister Mwajuma Rajab Abdalla, Mohamed Abdul Malik Bajabu says he is hopeful that he will soon be acquitted.

The Nation learnt that the four-page handwritten letter reached his family in Kenya a few weeks ago, about five months after their father succumbed to cancer.

“No man is perfect… (and) this is just a test and it too shall pass; one day at a time,” Malik told his sister in the letter written in broken Kiswahili.

Abdul was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) in 2007 after being accused of orchestrating several terror attacks, including the 2002 raid on an Israeli-owned hotel in Kikambala, Kilifi, where more than 10 people lost their lives.

He was further accused of being a member of the outlawed Islamic Party of Kenya. Kenyan authorities sent him to Guantanamo Bay in March 2007, to face trial.

However, the father of three, is now one of the “forever prisoners” at the detention camp, he is being detained indefinitely without charge or trial.

His only remaining hope of exiting the prison is to be “cleared for release” by the Periodic Review Board (PRB), the military equivalent of a parole hearing.

In his last appearance before the PRB mid last year, Malik 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 requested the Board, which is made of the heads of the American security agencies, to repatriate him to Middle Eastern Arabic speaking countries.

“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.

His sister said the family keeps track of international news to know whether the detention camp would be closed as had been earlier indicated. “Most countries have taken their prisoners. Why can’t Kenya bring him back?” she asked.

In his campaigns for the White House bid in 2008, former US President Barrack Obama had promised to shut the prison within a year, but his efforts were blocked by Congress when he assumed office.

Malik's lawyer Shelby Sullivan-Bennis said hopes of an early release was dashed by the election of Donald Trump as US President in November 2016.

“Since Trump’s inauguration, all 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 Malik’s appearance before the PRB last year.

His family hopes he with soon be freed,“We normally talk through Skype every three months,” his sister 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 dies on US soil, that would be his fate,” she said.