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Wednesday, 19 December, 2007

  • Newsnight
  • 19 Dec 07, 06:14 PM

Guantanamo

guantamemo.jpgThree British residents who were being held by the US at Guantanamo Bay have been released and are due to land in the UK at any moment. British police are accompanying them on the flight. What's not clear is what will happen to them when they get here - the Pentagon insists they still pose a danger to the public, and the Tories say they are yet to receive reassurances from the government about how they intend to protect the public from these "dangers". Newsnight reported key revelations about one of the released men some years ago. Tonight - we assess how much of a danger these men are, and debate how they should be treated on their return.


Russian Art

It seems that a high profile exhibition of art due to open at the Royal Academy in London in January is to be cancelled. The Russian government is on the verge of making the move, claming that the art - which belongs to Russian galleries such as Hermitage in St Petersburg - could be seized to settle private legal claims. But it comes just days after Russia demanded that the British Council close its branch offices in the New Year, in the wake of the row over the murder of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko. So the cooling of relations now seems to be impacting on Britain and Russia's cultural ties. We'll have the latest.


Mark Ronson

ronson.jpgOnly a year ago - you'd might never heard of him. The chances are that you have now. And even if you haven't, you've probably been humming his tunes without even knowing it. Mark Ronson has burst on to the music scene this year. His collaboration with Amy Winehouse and his album of covers - "Version" - have earned him a coveted Grammy nomination and a legion of fans. Our Culture Correspondent Steve Smith caught up with him for one of our End of Year Interviews. And if you want to know how Amy Winehouse's single "Rehab" came to be written - then it's a must watch.


What Happened Next?

Remember the hundreds of haemophiliacs whom Newsnight revealed had been infected with HIV in the 1980s? Remember the Iraqi translators who worked for British troops but were refused asylum here? Remember the head of a so-called "vulture fund" known as "Goldfinger"? Tonight, we'll be updating you on some of the key investigations Newsnight has worked on this year. And one or two of the lighter items too.

Comments  Post your comment

  • 1.
  • At 07:22 PM on 19 Dec 2007,
  • Quevoni wrote:

What moral bankruptcy has befallen the conservative party -the dogma of neocons and jumping on a band-wagon.

So "dangerous", the americans have released them....

What would anyone feel like being jailed without over-sight or external information.

Best wishes,


Quevoni

  • 2.
  • At 08:36 PM on 19 Dec 2007,
  • Bedd Gelert wrote:

"Only a year ago - you'd might never heard of him. "

Apart from the abysmal grammar, I can't understand why you are wasting time on this when far more time could be spent on the 'What Happened Next?' piece.

"And if you want to know how Amy Winehouse's single "Rehab" came to be written - then it's a must watch."

As Mr Paxman might say 'Hmm..yeeess..'

If you want to cover culture, why don't you cover something really important - like the fact that the Arts Council has pulled the plug on funding dozens of projects and local theatres, instead of investing time on someone who 'has had a Grammy nomination'. Oa oa, bully for him..

  • 3.
  • At 09:38 PM on 19 Dec 2007,
  • Joseph wrote:

So "dangerous", the americans have released them....

What would anyone feel like being jailed without over-sight or external information.

Quevoni

I agree with part of what you say Quevoni, however when you make it sound that all the detainees are innocent, well then I have to part company with you.

BRITISH BLOOD

So 鈥 it鈥檚 finally established. The ubiquitous lack of integrity is in our blood. I had long suspected it. Weep Britain.

  • 5.
  • At 12:21 AM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • eoin wrote:

The interview with Mark Ronson was a pointless exercise.
If you really wanted to know something about music production why not go into the studio while he was recording and explain some of the effects and recording techniques he uses. We could have heard Winehouse's voice pre-production when it was completely clean and then afterwards when it had been treated. That might have been quite interesting.
Instead, we were subjected to the same jaded "celeb-style" interview we could have seen on MTV or E4.
The interviewer was ackward, while Ronson came across as vapid and unlikeable - the whole exercise was highly cringe inducing.
I not adverse to the idea of Newsnight covering popular culture occasionaly, but please, please stop doing this type of drab and empty interview.

Brilliant Jeremy tonight (40/10) on the ex-Guantanamo inmates with Dame Pauline Neveille-Jones and Clive Stafford-Smith.
I LOVE Amy Winehouse and thought the Mark Ronson interview was brilliant and certainly one of the best interviews this year! Amy Winehouse has 6 Grammy nominations to her name (that's the equivalent of 6 Oscar nominations in terms of film!)and Mark is responsible for it. That alone is more than worthy of an interview on Newsnight. Well done Stephen Smith!:-)

  • 7.
  • At 06:29 AM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • Quevoni wrote:

Joseph, Thanks,

Though I don't think I mentioned innocence anywhere, it's just that isn't an intertwined value of Democracy, also justice (i.e. fair trials), and isn't that meant to be a "british" value?


Kind regards,

Quevoni

  • 8.
  • At 10:40 AM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • Laura Stanford wrote:

For an object lesson in the bias of the 成人快手 one could barely do better than look at the episodes of the 10 O鈥檆lock News and Newsnight on Wednesday 19 January and at the top story on both: the return of three Guantanamo detainees.

We had Daniel Sandford appearing on both shows and commenting on the fact that two of the returned detainees are facing extradition to Spain. Mr Sandford delivered this soundbite: they鈥檝e come 鈥渙ut of the frying pan of Guantanamo and into the fire of Spanish justice鈥.

The main criticism of Guantanamo over recent years is that it has never put people on trial, yet here we have a scenario in which two of these terror suspects might go on trial and Mr Sandford has made himself judge and jury in the whole proceedings.

Is Spain widely thought to have a discredited justice system? Daniel Sandford鈥檚 soundbite implies that it has. Where鈥檚 your famed 成人快手-style 鈥渃ultural sensitivity鈥 towards Spain鈥檚 way of doing things (all supervised, of course, by the European Court of Human Rights), Daniel? Or does the 成人快手鈥檚 political correctness run on a points-based system? More bias in your favour if you鈥檙e a Muslim, say?

Then we had this from Mr Sandford, again it was a phrase employed on both broadcasts: this move 鈥 to extradite to Spain 鈥 will 鈥渄ismay their families, lawyers and supporters鈥. So what? Anybody facing a criminal enquiry anywhere in the world will have families, lawyers and supporters who are 鈥渄ismayed鈥. Why weren鈥檛 similar dewy-eyed sentiments aired later on when both shows covered the arrest of a Manchester United player on a charge of rape? Having railed at the Americans at so long for not holding a trial, the critics of Guantanamo may be about to get their wish for a trial for two of these suspects in Spain. What鈥檚 wrong with that?

Then on Newsnight we had a debate with Clive Stafford Smith, a lawyer and supporter of these three detainees. Asked about one person who might be on their way to Spain, he kept banging on about a piece of videotape in which there had been a case of mistaken identity, which formed part of American intelligence on him.

At this point, the viewer hopes that the chair, Jeremy Paxman, will air the most prominent questions likely to come into the viewer鈥檚 head. The question clearly begged to be asked, 鈥淵es, Mr Stafford Smith, but was that piece of VT the only piece of evidence in this case and how do you know the Spanish are relying on it鈥? Isn鈥檛 that called prejudicing due process? It is not unusual to have flawed pieces of evidence in any criminal enquiry, they will simply be discarded as irrelevant if it is proved that is all they are.

Finally, as the debate closed, Mr Stafford Smith got very heated and started saying words to the effect of: 鈥淗e should be free. It鈥檚 Eid, the festival of Muslims, today.鈥 What on earth has that got to do with the fair administration of justice and protecting the public, pray tell? I waited for Jeremy Paxman, who had been very perky the evening before with Nick Clegg, to put the point to Mr Stafford Smith, but as is so often the case with anti-terrorism debates on Newsnight, Mr Paxman lost his tongue.

  • 9.
  • At 10:42 AM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • emma wrote:

I always thought Jeremy Paxman more Mr. Knight ley than Mr. Darcy.

Gavin Esler is more Mr. Darcy.
What is it with the 'wet' shirt?
Anyone with a degee in English would tell you that the meomorable scene is where Mr. Darcy gets out of his bath!!

  • 10.
  • At 10:54 AM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • wrote:

Quevoni & Joseph,

I believe they ARE innocent until proven guilty, and the Americans have had years to assemble the proof. Where is it?

Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed

  • 11.
  • At 11:12 AM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • wrote:

Laura (8), and others.

Have these fellows not been in custody long enough? Have those who would accuse them of imprisonable offences not had time enough to investigate, gather proof and bring charges?

Have they not failed to find sufficient cause to prosecute?

INNOCENT UNTIL PROVED GUILTY!

Let them enjoy Eid.

Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed

  • 12.
  • At 01:34 PM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • Brian Kelly wrote:

"IFFY" the new word for NHS initiatives!......as described to Gerry Robinson.

  • 13.
  • At 03:06 PM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • wrote:

We need to detain these people as they are not likely to ever tell the truth about their actions and we all complain about police getting it wrong too late.
You can't detain a man when he is blown up along with dozens of innocents. This is a different type of crime and we need to prevent before rather then catch afterwards.
Over time the authorities will get a better grip on terrorism.

  • 14.
  • At 05:24 PM on 20 Dec 2007,
  • wrote:

medvedev (13),

"We need to detain these people as they are not likely to ever tell the truth about their actions".

Have you ANY EVIDENCE to support your statement, or is it simple prejudice?

Do you believe everything which comes from the source of dodgy dossiers?

Salaam/Shalom/Shanthi/Dorood/Peace
Namaste -ed

  • 15.
  • At 02:33 AM on 21 Dec 2007,
  • Michae Hannaford wrote:

Mr Stafford Smith on the story of the return of three Guantanamo detainees,
made his usual sarcastic comments about the likely risk his client poses now he is freed. But perhaps Mr Paxman should have reminded him of an earlier Gtmo release, Abdullah Mehsud: who was another, so called "Muslim in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Mehsud, spent 25 months in custody at the US base in Cuba before his release in March 2004.

Abdullah Mehsud, was a Taleban veteran who was shot dead by Pakistani forces when he returned to his previous Jihadist ways.



  • 16.
  • At 01:44 PM on 21 Dec 2007,
  • wrote:

Michae Hannaford (15),

"Abdullah Mehsud, was a Taleban veteran"

You obviously have no fear of him contradicting you or suing for libel now.

Salaam, etc.
ed

  • 17.
  • At 05:50 PM on 23 Dec 2007,
  • Michael wrote:

re: Ed Iglehart comment. I have no fear of Mr Mehsud contradicting or suing me for libel, not because he is dead, but because I got my information off the 成人快手 website i.e he would have to sue them as well. read edit below.
成人快手 website.

Profile: Abdullah Mehsud

Mehsud said he led his fighters by taking risks
Abdullah Mehsud, who Pakistani officials say is dead, was a Taleban veteran of Guantanamo Bay who became one of Pakistan's most wanted Islamic militant leaders.
Mehsud, 33, spent 25 months in custody at the US base in Cuba before his release in March 2004.

He commanded militants who kidnapped two Chinese engineers in Pakistan's South Waziristan region shortly after his release.

One of the Chinese men was killed during a rescue bid by Pakistani forces.

As a young man, Mehsud fought for the Taleban against the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.

He lost a leg in a landmine explosion a few days before the Taleban took Kabul in September 1996.

He surrendered along with several thousand fighters to the forces of Uzbek warlord, Abdul Rashid Dostum, in December 2001 in Kunduz, northern Afghanistan, and was later turned over to the US military authorities.

Mehsud studied at a government college in Peshawar before attending a seminary where he befriended Afghan Taleban members and joined their movement.

My argument is with notion that everyone is a mistaken school builder who happens to be captured by the wicked US.
Merry Xmas

  • 18.
  • At 06:11 PM on 23 Dec 2007,
  • Michael Hannaford wrote:

re: Ed Iglehart comment. I have no fear of Mr Mehsud contradicting or suing me for libel, not because he is dead, but because I got my information off the 成人快手 website i.e he would have to sue them as well. read section below.
成人快手 website.
Profile: Abdullah Mehsud
Mehsud said he led his fighters by taking risks
Abdullah Mehsud, who Pakistani officials say is dead, was a Taleban veteran of Guantanamo Bay who became one of Pakistan's most wanted Islamic militant leaders.
Mehsud, 33, spent 25 months in custody at the US base in Cuba before his release in March 2004.
He commanded militants who kidnapped two Chinese engineers in Pakistan's South Waziristan region shortly after his release.
One of the Chinese men was killed during a rescue bid by Pakistani forces.
As a young man, Mehsud fought for the Taleban against the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan.

The question is not whether MR Mesuad was or was not Taliban, but the notion (from some like Stafford Smith), that everyone released from G/tmo is a "school builder" who was picked up in the wrong place by the wicked USA.

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