Andy Worthington
Encyclopedia
Andy Worthington is a British historian
, journalist
, and film director
.
He has published three books, and been published in numerous publications.
In 2009 Worthington was the co-director of a documentary about the Guantanamo detainees.
Worthington is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, a liberal weblog.
Worthington published what has been described as the most definitive annotated list of all Guantanamo detainees.
In January 2010 he published the first annotated list of Bagram detainees
.
Worthington's most recent book is The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison.
Following its publication in October 2007, Worthington has published articles supplementing the information in his book, to track new developments. Michelle Shephard
, author of Guantanamo's Child, when summing up other books on Guantanamo, described his book as: "Perhaps the single most important book to cover the big picture of Guantanamo", even though he "has never even been to Guantanamo Bay."
Stephen Grey
, writing in The New Statesman
, called the book: "a powerful, essential and long-overdue piece of research".
Worthington and Polly Nash co-directed Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo, a 75-minute documentary. The film focuses on the cases of United Kingdom citizen Moazzam Begg
, and Omar Deghayes
and Shaker Aamer
, legal residents of the UK. In addition to interviews with Begg and Deghayes, there are interviews with lawyers Clive Stafford Smith
and Tom Wilner
, and Worthington himself. The film premiered at the Human Rights Film Festival
in Oslo
, Norway, in February 2010.
Worthington articles have been published in the New York Times, The Guardian
, the Huffington Post, AlterNet
, ZNet, the Future of Freedom Foundation
and Amnesty International
. In 2008 he wrote the entry "Guantanamo Scandal" for Microsoft Encarta. In 2008, he started writing articles for Cageprisoners
, and became its Senior Researcher in June 2010.
Worthington has made numerous radio and television appearances as a commentator on Guantanamo since the publication of the book.
His two earlier books were: Stonehenge: Celebration & Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield.
The first book concerns modern celebrations at the ancient astronomical site, and the differing interpretations of modern celebrants.
The second book concerns a large confrontation between police and new age celebrants
traveling to Stonehenge on 1 June 1985.
On 16 June 2009 Worthington revealed new information on the death of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi
a former US ghost prisoner who died in a Libyan jail. He described in particular the prisons in which al Libi was held, and the ways in which torture
was used by his interrogators.
Worthington reported that former Guantanamo detainee, United Kingdom resident, and citizen of Libya Omar Deghayes
was his link to a source within Libya who had spoken with Al Libi prior to his death.
Based on his Libyan source Worthington was able to offer a more detailed timeline of Al Libi's last years.
In 2010, Amnesty International was criticized for its partnership with Cageprisoners' Moazzam Begg
by Gita Sahgal, its former Gender Unit head. Worthington defended Amnesty International and Begg, citing Islamophobia. He said, "I know from personal experience that Moazzam Begg is no extremist. We have met on numerous occasions, have had several long discussions, and have shared platforms together at many events."
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
He has published three books, and been published in numerous publications.
In 2009 Worthington was the co-director of a documentary about the Guantanamo detainees.
Worthington is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, a liberal weblog.
Worthington published what has been described as the most definitive annotated list of all Guantanamo detainees.
In January 2010 he published the first annotated list of Bagram detainees
Detainees held in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility
On January 16, 2010, the United States Department of Defense complied with a court order and made public a heavily redacted list of the detainees held in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility.Detainees started to be held...
.
Worthington's most recent book is The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison.
Following its publication in October 2007, Worthington has published articles supplementing the information in his book, to track new developments. Michelle Shephard
Michelle Shephard
Michelle Shephard is an investigative reporter with the Toronto Star newspaper in Canada. She has been awarded the Michener Award for public service journalism and twice won Canada's top newspaper prize, the National Newspaper Award. In 2011, she was an associate producer on an Oscar-nominated...
, author of Guantanamo's Child, when summing up other books on Guantanamo, described his book as: "Perhaps the single most important book to cover the big picture of Guantanamo", even though he "has never even been to Guantanamo Bay."
Stephen Grey
Stephen Grey
Stephen Grey is an award-winning British investigative journalist and author best known for revealing details of the CIA's program of 'extraordinary rendition.' He has also reported extensively from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.-Early career:Grey was educated at the British School of...
, writing in The New Statesman
The New Statesman
The New Statesman is an award-winning British sitcom of the late 1980s and early 1990s satirising the Conservative government of the time...
, called the book: "a powerful, essential and long-overdue piece of research".
Worthington and Polly Nash co-directed Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo, a 75-minute documentary. The film focuses on the cases of United Kingdom citizen Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
, and Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes is a Libyan citizen with residency status in the United Kingdom, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He currently lives in the United Kingdom....
and Shaker Aamer
Shaker Aamer
Shaker Aamer is a Saudi Arabian citizen and the last British resident currently held in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba. He was arrested in Afghanistan in January 2002 and as of today, Aamer has been held at Guantánamo for...
, legal residents of the UK. In addition to interviews with Begg and Deghayes, there are interviews with lawyers Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Stafford Smith
Clive Adrian Stafford Smith OBE is a British [see talk] lawyer who specialises in the areas of civil rights and the death penalty in the United States of America....
and Tom Wilner
Thomas Wilner
Thomas B. Wilner is the managing partner of Shearman & Sterling's International Trade and Global Relations Practice. Wilner has also represented the high-profile human rights cases of a dozen Kuwaiti citizens detained in the United States naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.Wilner earned his law...
, and Worthington himself. The film premiered at the Human Rights Film Festival
Human Rights Film Festival
Human Rights Film Festival is an annually-held Zagreb-based film festival founded in 2003. The festival is run by two prominent Croatian independent cultural organizations - the Multimedia Institute and Culture Development Association ....
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway, in February 2010.
Worthington articles have been published in the New York Times, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, the Huffington Post, AlterNet
AlterNet
AlterNet, a project of the non-profit Independent Media Institute, is a progressive/liberal activist news service. Launched in 1998, AlterNet now claims a readership of over 3 million visitors per month .AlterNet publishes original content as well as journalism from a wide variety of other sources...
, ZNet, the Future of Freedom Foundation
Future of Freedom Foundation
The Future of Freedom Foundation is a nonprofit libertarian advocacy group based in Fairfax, Virginia. It was founded by libertarian author and former defense attorney Jacob G...
and Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
. In 2008 he wrote the entry "Guantanamo Scandal" for Microsoft Encarta. In 2008, he started writing articles for Cageprisoners
Cageprisoners
Cageprisoners Ltd is a London-based human rights organization with an Islamic focus, whose stated aim is "to raise awareness of the plight of the prisoners at Guantánamo Bay and other detainees held as part of the War on Terror." It campaigns on behalf of Muslim prisoners, including convicted...
, and became its Senior Researcher in June 2010.
Worthington has made numerous radio and television appearances as a commentator on Guantanamo since the publication of the book.
His two earlier books were: Stonehenge: Celebration & Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield.
The first book concerns modern celebrations at the ancient astronomical site, and the differing interpretations of modern celebrants.
The second book concerns a large confrontation between police and new age celebrants
Battle of the Beanfield
The Battle of the Beanfield took place over several hours on the afternoon of Saturday 1 June 1985 when Wiltshire Police prevented a vehicle convoy of several hundred new age travellers, known as "The Convoy" and referred to in the media as the "Peace Convoy" from setting up at the 11th Stonehenge...
traveling to Stonehenge on 1 June 1985.
On 16 June 2009 Worthington revealed new information on the death of Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi
Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi
Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi was a Libyan paramilitary trainer for Al-Qaeda. After being captured and interrogated by the American and Egyptian forces, the information he gave under torture by Egyptian authorities was cited by the George W. Bush Administration in the months preceding the 2003 invasion of...
a former US ghost prisoner who died in a Libyan jail. He described in particular the prisons in which al Libi was held, and the ways in which torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
was used by his interrogators.
Worthington reported that former Guantanamo detainee, United Kingdom resident, and citizen of Libya Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes is a Libyan citizen with residency status in the United Kingdom, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He currently lives in the United Kingdom....
was his link to a source within Libya who had spoken with Al Libi prior to his death.
Based on his Libyan source Worthington was able to offer a more detailed timeline of Al Libi's last years.
In 2010, Amnesty International was criticized for its partnership with Cageprisoners' Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
by Gita Sahgal, its former Gender Unit head. Worthington defended Amnesty International and Begg, citing Islamophobia. He said, "I know from personal experience that Moazzam Begg is no extremist. We have met on numerous occasions, have had several long discussions, and have shared platforms together at many events."
External links
- Andy Worthington at The Huffington PostThe Huffington PostThe Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
- Andy Worthington at guardian.co.ukGuardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
-
Moazzam Begg and Andy Worthington on Human Rights in The War on Terror (audio)