Kuwaiti Families to Hold Yellow Ribbon March in London as Illegal Imprisonments Continue

11/22/04 - PRNewswire

Kuwaiti Families to Hold Yellow Ribbon March in London as Illegal Imprisonments Continue PRNewswire LONDON November 22

LONDON, November 22 /PRNewswire/ --

- A Somber Effort to Reach the American People from the Other Side of the Atlantic

The families of 12 Kuwaitis imprisoned illegally by the United States government will march in London on Monday, November 22, in an appeal to the American people for the legal rights of their fathers, brothers, and sons. The march will begin at 9:55 a.m. at Reuters Headquarters, 85 Fleet Street, EC4P 4AJ and end at the Old Bailey, Warwick Square, EC4.

The family members cannot obtain visas to the United States and are thus compelled to appeal to the American people from the other side of the world. They are not demanding the release of their loved ones, but only that they receive fair trials in accordance with the basic principles of American justice. The men have been illegally held at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base more than three years. The Bush Administration has ignored the United States Supreme Court, which ruled in June 2004 that the detainees should be either charged and tried as criminals or released.

Family members will be wearing yellow ribbons, which have become the symbol of their hope and forbearance. "The American people will recognize the yellow ribbon. They will understand that our pain is the same pain that they have suffered during the Iranian hostage crisis 25 years ago," said Khalid Al-Odah, the father of imprisoned Fawzi Al-Odah.

Khalid Al-Odah founded the Kuwaiti Family Committee, including around 100 people, to fight for the due process of the 12 Kuwaiti men, who represent just a small percentage of the hundreds still imprisoned in Guantanamo.

In the United States, demands that the Kuwaitis receive fair trials have resounded on all ends of the political spectrum, from the Washington Post to the National Review. It is expected that Bush Administration nominees for Attorney General, Secretary of State and, perhaps soon, Supreme Court Justice will be asked to explain their positions on this issue during their confirmation hearings.

"At this time of year, families are gathering throughout the world to give thanks and to worship God together," said Khalid. "At this time of year, our anguish is all the more unbearable."