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Terrorism suspect Ghailani`s mother blames
2008-10-06 10:41:32
By Mwinyi Sadallah, Zanzibar
The family of Ahmed Khalfani Ghailani (34), a Tanzanian suspected to be a terrorist, has said the American government lied to his mother that it could fly her to the US for the hearing of his case which began last week in Florida.
The mother, Bimkubwa Said Abdallah, said in an interview here yesterday that she was told by an official from US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that the US government would cover all her transport costs to enable her to witness the proceedings of the case facing her son. Ghailani has been in detention for five years now.
She said since her son was arrested she has had no reliable communication with him and she had been rarely receiving letters through the International Red Cross Society, most reaching her ``a very long time after they were written``.
``I wish I could witness the proceedings of the case facing my lovely son,`` a sobbing Bimkubwa said when this reporter met her at her Gongoini Street residence.
She said after the US government defaulted on its pledge to transport her, she requested the Tanzanian government to help her out ``so that I could go to America to witness the case facing my son, who I believe is completely innocent``.
``I believe my son has not committed any crime even remotely associated with terrorism .They should file a case in Tanzania because my son is a Tanzanian and the crime is said to have been committed in this country,`` she pointed out.
The mother explained that her health was deteriorating due to blood pressure problems linked to ``persistent thoughts about my son and the torture terrorism suspects are normally subjected to``.
She said it was high time the Tanzanian government moved to make sure that Ghailani enjoyed his basic human rights even as he was a criminal suspect ``because he deserves the right to being provided with legal assistance in line with international laws”.
Bimkubwa further requested human rights organisations in Tanzania to make a close follow-up of her son`s case and plight as well as explore the possibility of providing him with proper legal assistance``.
Hamza Hassan Juma, Minister of State in the Zanzibar Chief Minister’s Office, said when contacted for comment that the case involves the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ministry and was therefore a matter for the Union government to deal with.
He said even if Bimkubwa were to take her complaints to the Isles government, the matter would be forwarded to the Foreign ministry ``to be resolved in a diplomatic way``.
Ghailani is alleged to have had a hand in the 1998 near simultaneous bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi in which hundreds of people were killed and many others were injured.
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