RELEASE AL JAZEERA CAMERAMAN FROM GUANTANAMO WITHOUT DELAY

Nicholas Kristof has an op-ed in today's The New York Times on the Al Jazeera cameraman, Sami al Hajj, who has been held these last six years in Guantanamo. I have previously written about al Hajj on July 29, 2007.

There have been no charges made against al Hajj. According to Kristof, al Hajj is currently on a hunger strike to protest the unfairness of his imprisonment.

People can only guess why the U.S. military continues to hold al Hajj. Is it because Bush and Cheney hate Al Jazeera for airing the Arab side to the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Or is it because the U.S. military wants to punish al Hajj for taking photos of insurgents fighting the U.S. forces in Iraq?

Kristof quotes a Pentagon spokesman claiming that there is evidence against al Hajj:

"“There is a significant amount of information, both unclassified and classified, which supports continued detention of Sami al-Hajj by U.S. forces,” said Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman, adding that the detainees are humanely treated and “receive exceptional medical care.” "

Yet the U.S. refuses to release any such evidence. For all the public knows, al Hajj might be completely innocent. Therefore, the U.S. military must give al Hajj a chance to clear his name. If there is no credible evidence and if the U.S. refuses to bring charges, then al Hajj must be set free without delay.

No wonder the whole world hates the U.S. for its cruelty and unfairness towards prisoners at Guantanamo.