Re: Former Guantanamo Uyghur Detainees in Tirana

Rome, 19 May 2010

Caro Sindaco, Caro Edi,

It was nice meeting you in your office with Marco Pannella, Ermelinda and Pandeli the other day; I hope that something good will come out of those preliminary discussions and I look forward to continuing them in Rome soon. Today I write to bring to your attention the situation of the four Uyghurs that Albania has generously decided to host after their release from Guantanamo Bay in 2006. On 11 May 2009, thanks to the good offices of the Italian Embassy in Albania, I had the opportunity to meet three of these individuals in Tirana: Mr. Abu Bekker Quassim, Mr Ahtar and Mr Ahmad to discuss their situation and to gain an understanding of their needs.

As you may be aware, the Nonviolent Radical Party, transnational and transparty has been active for the last 20 years accessing different fora to foster the cause of the Uyghurs both in China and abroad. Moreover, part of our struggle for the protection and promotion of human rights was recently characterised when we promoted ways to assist the United States in the closing of Guantanamo Bay. We deeply appreciate the leadership role played by Albania in this matter and hope that soon the prison will be permanently shut down.

In talking to the three Uyghurs in Tirana, I realized that the fourth was attending a class at the “New York University.” I discovered that these individuals continue to have problems concerning travel documentation and face obstacles to accessing the necessary health and social assistance, which I believe should be provided and/or facilitated by your Ministry. These two issues are of great importance for those individuals, particularly since the general economy in Albania – as is the case in the rest of Europe – prevents them from finding reasonable employment with a decent wage which allows them to survive and provide for their families. As far as documents are concerned, I have sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior, to stress my concern that these individuals should be able to travel to meet their relatives and to look for possible alternatives to their current situations.

I would therefore be grateful if you could instruct your offices to do their utmost to assist the Uyghurs in Albania in supporting their needs.  I would appreciate it if you could liaise with the office of the Mayor to help these four people, who, and this must always be stressed, have not done anything against anybody, but would nevertheless face serious problems if returned to the People’s Republic of China.

I look forward to hearing from you, and remain at your complete disposal should you need additional information and/or suggestions on how to support these Uyghurs from abroad (+393490815747).

Grazie e a presto,

Sen. Marco Perduca

Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Special Committee on Human Rights