Freed Egyptian detainee says torture at Guantanamo put him in wheelchair News
Freed Egyptian detainee says torture at Guantanamo put him in wheelchair

[JURIST] Former Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee Sami-al-Leithy [Amnesty International profile], an Egyptian national transferred to Egyptian custody earlier this month [JURIST report], has told Egyptian television that he was tortured by guards at the US military camp. Leithy, 49, alleged in an interview Sunday that the torture he suffered – including beating and exposure to harsh light during interrogation – has left him crippled with spinal fractures and confined to a wheelchair. He also described varying cell conditions with cooperating prisoners receiving the best treatment. Detained for four years before his release, Leithy said he was brought before a court in 2004 where he was told he “was arrested with 15 other Arabs for having considered to fight the American Army.” Leithy's appearance comes as foreign diplomats announced that five Kuwaitis and one more Egyptian are set to be released from Guantanamo [JURIST report]. The Pentagon said in early October that 247 Guantanamo detainees have been released, with 505 remaining in detention at the base. AFP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Egypt President Anwar Sadat visits Israel

On November 19, 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Israel, becoming the first leader of an Arab nation to officially visit. Two years later, President Sadat became the first Arab leader to recognize Israel by signing the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. Read President Sadat's address to the Israeli Knesset.

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On November 19, 1794, US Chief Justice John Jay and British foreign secretary Lord Grenville signed a treaty in Philadelphia under which British forces pulled out of the disputed Northwest Territory. Review the Jay Treaty.