Mamdouh Habib - Who I am in the War on Terror (part 3)
Transcript – Mamdouh Habib @ ANU (part 3)
9.8.06
That’s level four. But the worst thing with level four, they um say with “see I lost” [can’t decipher word, this is what it sounds like, maybe “thing I lost”? - Kieran], the “see I lost” come from interrogator, nobody no what “see I lost”, confident item. That’s meaning the blanket. You supposed to have blanket to sleep, but no, because you are for level four, and “see I lost”, you not allowed to sleep. They give you the blanket eleven o’clock at night, they take it from you, four o’clock in the morning. Order, you can’t say no, what’s the use?
Now, is what we been treated in Guantanamo Bay, until today, it’s not enough for United States.
They building a new camp, that’s why when people say “do you think they going to close down Guantanamo Bay, I say never, I still say never.
Because when I left from Cuba, they building a new camp called Camp six. When I been in removed, I taken from Camp Delta, they take me to Camp four, uh five.
This Camp Five, that’s where David Hicks is.
Camp five is built high security. That’s what you got very bright light, freezing, concrete, can’t see nothing. They have a big fan, big noise twenty four hours.
That’s what it is. They want people to become crazy.
I believe when I left for forty five percent of people in Guantanamo bay, in camp five, they turn out crazy.
That’s what happened in Camp five. Before I left they built camp they call camp six. That’s why I believe now it start.
I don’t know how’s it look like, but that’s what I was told when I was there, they building this camp.
That’s why America never ever going to close down Guantanamo Bay. Because a lot of information there.
And people when they come out, they gonna tell you like I saying you what’s going on. People going tell you what happened. This is going to tell you what’s this war on terror, and this terrorist Osama bin Laden and people there they call Osama Bin Laden is not true.
People kidnapped for no reason. People kidnapped for mistaken. People kidnapped for no reason at all.
Now, since I come back, the government they no interested. They say Habib he was in Guantanamo bay because he been accused for terrorism. Well I gonna show you, anyone interested to see, I gonna show you what accusing means.
First I made chemical weapons, chemical weapons, I training people, I right hand of Osama bin Laden, I am communicate and I deal with Hezbollah. And this one doesn’t work anyway, Hezbollah doesn’t communicate with Osama bin Laden! But they make me.
And they make me work with Hezbollah and Osama Bin Laden together, I don’t know how.
Then I train people attacking United States. Then I attack United State in back to ’93. And I been hiding all this time? Then find out after September 11 I am the one who attack trade centre in America ‘93! That’s one of the cases, I believe got more, eleven.
Eleven! Then they release me?!
I say, how come they go and release me?! I was Osama bin Laden!
I wasn’t believing that.
But lot of people gonna say “why Habib here now?” “why Habib has been released, David Hicks still there?”. I know a lot of people ask me this question.
I can show you too, anybody one interested after I finish? Can see.
When they take me tribunal, because I not trust the government, I not trust anybody, because from the way they treat me from the first day, when I was saying people they should respect me, they should take care of me, they should take me home, they should protect me from the criminal. They hand me in to the criminal.
I’m not going to trust these people.
When they take me tribunal, like exactly they done with David Hicks, I say who’s the tribunal? The guy who come in they say “Mr Habib”, (the never tell me Mr. Habib, I forgot my name over there anyway, my number was 661 alright, in Cuba), they tell me “661, I am your lawyer”.
He wearing military, he’s American, I say “you my lawyer, what you know about me?” he say “nothing”. You gonna defend me? I been here for four years. He say alright, you tell me your story. I say “you no read my story before you come in see me?” He say “no, you can tell me what’s your story” I said “no, I’m not gonna talk to you. I’m not interested to talk to with anybody. Are you American?” He say yes, I say where you from, he say air force.
You still American, you are air force! Same people who kidnap me, same people who torture me over there! He say well are you wanna talk to me, I say I’m not interested to talk with you.
If I see somebody, but not here in Cuba but here in Australia, lawyer, proper lawyer, and I see Australian in my eye and [indecipherable], because you can take me out for a walk and I can see Australia, I wanna see Australia, I wanna feel Australia, then I can talk to you.
Anyway, the Court, I say who’s the judge? He say “a marine”. Who’s the guard, he’s a military. Oh well, I’m not interested to go your court, and have nothing to do with you.
He say well I have to talk to you, I have case here, and you done, and you admitted… And I say did I admit anything? And he say yes you did admit you are with Osama bin Laden, you admit you done chemical, you admit you with Hezbollah, you admit you are a attacking America.
How reply? I’m here. what do you want from me? He say “I want defend you” I say “I don’t want you to defend me”, only in Australia.
That’s the different between me and David Hicks. David Hicks accepted, he trust the government, and they tell him yes, you Australian, hey I go home, he believe it.
I told don’t trust ‘em, these people gonna hand you in, these people they wanna get rid of you. And he tried to explain to me, we are in safe hand, in safe hand, with Australian government.
I said no, because I been hand in, in Egypt, and I know what I know, what I see, you don’t see, no trust.
They bring him vegemite, every day, to David Hicks. Toast, vegemite. And keep him warm.
Well when they take me tribunal, well I said I gonna, I’m not gonna go to tribunal, everything you have here in your hand, if I done anything, just take me and put me in court, just go ahead, don’t worry about it, I’m not going to have to talk to you.
But, they tell me, what we have against you, you have to tell us what happened. I said I’m not going to tell you anything.
They drag me, that’s what I like it, they drag me for half a kilometre. When I got to tribunal I was bleeding, my clothes was wrecked. They can’t take me inside cause maybe media inside.
And say you wanna get in. I say you want to get in, you have to beat me, you have to torture me, you have to drag me, until you where you take me, I’m not going to get up and walk with you, take it as it is.
Then they doesn’t take me. That’s what’s between me and David Hicks, I refused to go tribunal, and that’s whats I’m here.
Everything happened to me, under torture, under brainwash, because I have brainwashed, I’ve been beaten, for four years, torture, whatever torture you believe, I’ve been through it.
Like you see in Abu Graib, and all this stuff, Egypt is worse. Egypt is worse.
Abu Graib that’s… tell me what’s information, what the media get there information about Abu Graib and about Cuba, where the media get it from. American military! They sold information for few bucks. To the media, and show em video tape from Abu Graib inside.
Do you think government release this information? American? No! The Soldiers, soon they go home they make em video tape and go to media and say I have good tape, good news tape, how much you pay me for it? See what we doing to people inside. They sell it. They sell information against his own military, against his own [unintelligible], what he swear too. To be honest with his military. And he sell information about his own military.
That’s why you know about us, that’s why you know about people in Guantanamo Bay, that’s why you know people in Abu Graib. From they own people.
That’s what happened.
Then when they take us in Cuba, I refuse to go into military tribunal whatever. That’s one of the reasons.
I tell you the best reason.
Australia have a reason as well.
I believe that some of the ASIO is here, I don’t know who we are, one of you is ASIO, they welcome, and they listen to me very good, I have no problem. They can tell me if like, they can face me anyway.
What happened. The last minute, when my lawyer come in, in Guantanamo bay, that’s the first time, after three year and half, I never see lawyer, no one talk to me, no one tell me where I am. Only from the detainee, and military I know in Cuba. No one tried to defend me, except this air force guy, who want information.
When they come, and my lawyer come in and tell me, we have gone to trial, to put your case through to the court, because you’re not, what you call American or George Bush is said, enemy combatant.
I never been enemy combatant, I didn’t see the war! When the what happened in Afghanistan, I was already arrested, I was already kidnapped, how I gonna be enemy combatant?! And that’s one of my case too.
When my lawyer put my case to the court, and they try to find out what’s going on, Egyptian government, because they very worry about it, they find out that maybe Mr Habib he gonna be released. Because they have no case.
They try to kidnap me from Cuba again!
Egyptian government Mr Mubarak, the money box, or the telephone box, they send message to Cuba, Ahmed Suliman, to release five of Egyptian people.
And they mention Habib. But he doesn’t say Habib, they put my name and my middle name. The lawyer [undecipherable, name of wife?] from America, who read through the other name, he say Egyptian government they wanna take five people, and mention one who’s name is Mamdouh, what’s your Husband mid name, and she told him, that’s the one Egyptian government tried to take.
And Australia was embarrassed, very embarrassed if I get kidnapped again from Cuba to Egypt again.
And again so where is Habib? We don’t know. Four years they been saying, and they gonna say oh we don’t know anything else about it?
It looks bad.
And what my lawyer did, he gets restraining order, against United States, Mr Habib not leave Cuba, until they take him to Australia. And that’s why my case is that.
And it looks bad.
With what happened, I’m not enemy combatant, I haven’t done anything, I didn’t go to tribunal, and Egyptian government tried to kidnap me again. And that’s why I’ve been released.
My lawyer wasn’t aware I gonna be released. He come and present me, and he tell me, maybe Habib, six months. I said six months again?! There not gonna see me, I not gonna be Habib any more, I gonna be mental. See the people down the stairs? All crazy.
I no wanna see you, if you come after six months and I say, the first one I see and you tell me I gonna come back. I no wanna see you.
But as soon he left, I believe about one month, I was told I can be released.
That’s one the reasons I been released from Cuba, because the Egyptian government they tried to kidnap me again. And what’s very important, until today, Egyptian government, I have a letter from Egyptian government, they deny until I haven’t been in Egypt.
Did you believe that?
Australian government, I have from the freedom of information, a letter, they say Habib he was in Egypt. And be take care of him.
And Egyptian say we told him, we say listen, that’s the letter from the government here in Australia saying I was in Egypt, for six months, why you say no.
Because we didn’t see you in Egypt. We don’t know anything.
That’s mean there is dirty business there? Who run this business? If not the government?
And I have a threat, if you talk about it again, we gonna take you back to Egypt.
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