Guantanamo Bay Payout: Labour Faces Fury Over Terror Suspect Deal

A “substantial” payout from the UK government to a terror suspect represented by a law chief now in the cabinet has ignited a political firestorm, with Conservative MPs voicing strong objections.

Compensation Claim Sparks Outrage

The settlement with Abu Zubaydah, held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006, centers on allegations of complicity in torture.

• Abu Zubaydah, captured in 2002 following the 9/11 attacks, has received a financial settlement from the UK government.
• The case alleged British intelligence services were complicit in Zubaydah’s torture by the CIA.
• Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick criticized the payout as “engineered” by Zubaydah’s former counsel, now a cabinet member.
• Zubaydah remains detained at Guantanamo Bay, having never been charged or convicted of a crime.

Abu Zubaydah, detained by U.S. authorities since his capture in Pakistan in 2002 in the wake of 9/11, launched a legal battle claiming the UK was complicit in his torture by the Central Intelligence Agency. The financial settlement, the amount of which has not been disclosed, has prompted accusations of political maneuvering and questions about the Labour government’s priorities.

Zubaydah’s case was initially led by Lord Hermer, a human rights specialist before his appointment as Attorney General. The legal challenge was opposed by the then-Conservative government. Now, Zubaydah, labeled a “forever prisoner” at the controversial Guantanamo Bay military jail, has been awarded a significant out-of-court compensation package.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick branded the settlement a “payout engineered by the claimant’s former counsel, who now sits in the Cabinet that signs the cheque.” In a letter to Justice Secretary David Lammy, Jenrick characterized the settlement as a “choice” made by the Labour Government, demanding an explanation for the “authority” on which the payout was authorized.

Jenrick wrote that Zubaydah “has been accused of running terrorist training camps in Afghanistan and acting as a central gatekeeper for jihadists plotting attacks against the West, including Osama Bin Laden.” He added that Zubaydah “remains held in Guantanamo Bay by the US under successive presidents – owing to their belief he poses a security risk of the highest order,” and that “Our government has not, and has never, called for his release.”

Abu Zubaydah has been held at the Cuba prison since 2006 despite having never been charged with or convicted of a crime

Zubaydah, 54, has been held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba since 2006 without ever facing charges or a conviction. He was captured in Pakistan by U.S. forces in 2002, initially accused of being a senior Al Qaeda member – an allegation the U.S. government later withdrew.

At the time of his capture, the 31-year-old Zubaydah became the first individual subjected to the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques, which included sleep deprivation and waterboarding. He alleged that MI5 and MI6 were aware of his mistreatment but still provided information and questions to the CIA for use during interrogations.

Zubaydah’s legal claim against the UK argued that the country’s intelligence services were “complicit” in his torture. In 2021, the High Court initially ruled that the applicable laws were those of the locations where he was detained – Thailand, Poland, Morocco, Lithuania, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo Bay. However, this decision was overturned on appeal, and in 2023, the Supreme Court determined that English law was applicable.

Zubaydah was the first man subjected to CIA’s ‘enhanced interrogation’ techniques, which include sleep deprivation, slapping and waterboarding. Pictured: Guantanamo Bay in Cuba

Lord Hermer represented Zubaydah before joining the Government, arguing that British officials knew he was being “subjected to extreme mistreatment and torture by the CIA at secret black sites.”

Jenrick asserted that the recent Supreme Court ruling “did not order damages” but rather focused on a “technicality regarding applicable law.” He also criticized Lord Hermer’s past actions, citing his involvement in decisions regarding the Chagos Islands and arms sales to Israel.

Robert Jenrick has written to David Lammy wanting answers after Abu Zubaydah received a financial settlement following a legal claim against the UK, arguing that the country’s intelligence services were ‘complicit’ in his torture

“Yet again we find Lord Hermer embroiled in scandal,” Jenrick stated. “He spent his life subverting Britain’s interests and simply cannot be trusted to put the British people first.” Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp condemned the settlement as a “disgraceful capitulation” by a “weak Government,” arguing they prioritized payouts over national security.

A government source countered, accusing Jenrick of “rampant hypocrisy,” pointing to Tory shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson’s work for sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. A source close to Lord Hermer maintained that the government’s conflict process would prevent any involvement in cases where he previously represented other parties.

A Conservative source suggested the payout could reach hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayer money, labeling the situation “absolutely rotten.” Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve called for ministers to explain the “very unusual” step of compensating Zubaydah, noting that what happened to him was “plainly wrong” and urging a ministerial statement.

The prisoner who is ‘too dangerous to EVER release’ 

When American forces snatched Abu Zubaydah during an operation in northern Pakistan six months after 9/11, they thought they had captured an Al Qaeda kingpin.

President George W Bush hailed Zubaydah’s arrest a major success in his ‘War on Terror’, claiming he was a ‘top operative’ – no less than an associate of Osama bin Laden, the US would say – who was ‘plotting and planning murder’.

Zubaydah, a Palestinian born in Saudi Arabia, was held at a series of CIA ‘black sites’ – secret prisons operating outside the US legal system. He spent four years in detention facilities in Thailand, Lithuania, Poland, Afghanistan and Morocco, before being sent to the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

Zubaydah, now 54, became the first man subjected to the CIA’s controversial ‘enhanced interrogation’ techniques. According to a US Senate investigation into the intelligence service’s use of torture, he was waterboarded 83 times in a single month, and locked for more than 11 days in a coffin-sized box, left to lie in his own urine and faeces.

He was also stripped naked and beaten, suspended from hooks, and kept awake for a week. Zubaydah has published a series of drawings depicting his treatment.

But the grand claims made on his capture were later quietly withdrawn, and the US government has concluded he had no ties to the 9/11 attacks. He is believed to have been an assistant for fighters in Afghanistan, working as a camp administrator.

Zubaydah has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006 without charge or conviction, coining the name ‘the forever prisoner’.

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Professor Helen Duffy, international legal counsel for Zubaydah, confirmed a “substantial” financial settlement had been reached, but declined to disclose the amount for legal reasons. She noted Zubaydah would not receive the funds while detained, but called on the UK to either offer him a home or assist in finding one.

“Legally, there’s no basis for him to be detained. Morally, there’s no basis, there’s no security concern 24 years into this person’s detention without charge or trial,” Duffy said. “What is needed is political action by the UK and others. I think it’s important to note that it’s not that difficult for the United Kingdom to offer to help the United States to bring this costly and irrational detention at Guantanamo Bay to an end.”

Zubaydah is one of 15 prisoners who are still at Guantanamo Bay. He has been widely dubbed a ‘forever prisoner’

Zubaydah brought a legal claim against the UK, arguing that the country’s intelligence services were ‘complicit’ in his torture