Guantanamo inmate says US told him to spy on al-Jazeera

The US military told an al-Jazeera cameraman being held at Guantánamo Bay that he would be released as long as he agreed to spy on journalists at the Arabic news channel, according to documents seen by the Guardian.

The journalist has been in the prison without charge for three-and-a-half years after being accused by the US of being a terrorist, allegations he denies. He claims that he has been interrogated more than 100 times but not asked about alleged terrorist offences. Instead, Sami Muhyideen al-Hajj says US military personnel have alleged during interrogation that al-Jazeera has been infiltrated by al-Qaida and that one of its presenters is linked to Islamists.Guardian

Let’s get this straight: U.S. intelligence is trusting this guy enough to send him to the “enemy,” which incidentally is one of the few free press agencies that exist in the Middle East. Yet the same guy is being held at Guantanamo Bay because, as the administration has repeatedly pointed out in the past, all the inmates that are still being held are considered a security risk.

So much for civil liberties for everyone.