Abdul Aziz Naji describes his situation as "dancing between fires." If he were returned to Algeria, he would face threats to his life and safety from both the Algerian government and from fundamentalist insurgents. He was brought to Guantánamo as the victim of a Pakistani house raid in the chaotic aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan. Yet, he remains in Guantánamo because no country will advocate for his release.
Newton offers home to Guantanamo detainee
By Associated Press Thursday, January 14, 2010
NEWTON -- A second Massachusetts community is considering offering a Guantanamo Bay detainee a permanent home.
The Newton Board of Aldermen is considering a resolution that would invite Algerian native Abdul Aziz Naji to resettle in the Boston suburb if Congress lifts its ban on allowing Guantanamo detainees to move to the United States.
The Boston Globe reports that the resolution, sponsored by Alderman Stephen Linsky, was unanimously approved by a committee and will go before the full board on Tuesday.
Naji is one of about 60 of the detainees who have been cleared of wrongdoing but remain at Guantanamo because they have nowhere to go. His lawyers are from Newton.
A Town Meeting in Amherst in November offered to resettle two Guantanamo detainees if Congress lifted the ban.
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