The final British prisoner in Guantanamo Bay has been released and has touched down on British soil today.
Father-of-four Shaker Aamer had been detained at the US military jail in Cuba since 2002 without trial.
He was cleared for release at the end of last month, but Mr Aamer’s wife Zin and four children – one of whom he has never met – have been waiting for his return.
His release was confirmed by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond this morning.
Andy Worthington, co-director of the We Stand With Shaker campaign, said he had informed by Mr Aamer’s lawyer that he is due to return to the UK today.
He said: ‘We’re delighted to hear that his long and unacceptable ordeal has come to an end.
‘We hope he won’t be detained by the British authorities on his return and gets the psychological and medical care that he needs to be able to resume his life with his family in London.’
Mr Aamer, 46, says he was working as a charity worker in Afghanistan when he was kidnapped and handed over to US forces in 2001.
During his time in captivity, his lawyers said he was subjected to torture, with beatings and sleep deprivation, and held in solitary confinement for 360 days.
In 2005, he lost half his body weight during a hunger strike.
His family, MPs and actors Mark Rylance and Maxine Peake have also taken part in a 24-hour fast to show their support. Mr Aamer said he cried when he read about the protests.
He was described in US military files obtained by the WikiLeaks website as a ‘close associate of Osama bin Laden’ who fought in the battle of Tora Bora.
