From Gitmo cell to 'freedom' in Albania

Abu Muhammad, an Algerian doctor, is one of eight former Guantánamo detainees who were granted asylum in Albania.

from the June 11, 2007 edition

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An Algerian national, Muhammad was living in Pakistan – where he says he was working as a teacher for a nongovernmental organization – when police came to his door in the middle of the night. They were looking for another man, he says, but took him away anyway "for verification."

That was the last time he saw his five children and then-pregnant wife. He has a daughter, now 5, whom he has never seen.

A doctor by training, Muhammad speaks English, Arabic, and French – all softly – and shows no rage at the US. He says he is happy to be free but he sees little future for himself in Albania. He gets food, accommodation, and a small stipend from the government, but jobs are scarce and he despairs of ever bringing his family.

"Bring my family? Where?" he says. "They say they will give you one house with two rooms for two persons. How can I take my family in one room? I have six children."

Officially, the US says Muhammad is "no longer" an enemy combatant, but lawyers representing him say there is no evidence that he ever posed a threat to the US. He was held for an additional 18 months in Guantánamo after being cleared by an internal panel before being transferred to Albania against his will in November 2006.

Now he spends his time trolling the Internet, to catch up on five years of missed news, and looking for jobs. He hopes eventually to move to a French or Arabic-speaking country and be reunited with his family.

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