Amherst votes to welcome pair of Guantanamo detainees

AMHERST - Captives long held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay could be welcome to move to Amherst.

Town Meeting Wednesday called on Congress to repeal the ban on allowing cleared detainees to live in the United States and then moved to invite two such detainees, once cleared, to come to Amherst.

The petition article, brought forward by Pioneer Valley No More Guantanamos, won widespread support from Town Meeting.

Meg Gage of Precinct 1 spoke in favor of the article. "The cruelty carried out at Guantanamo has been well documented," Gage said.

Gage said Town Meeting's support is essential to both national integrity and personal accountability because of the unjust imprisonment of more than 800 people.

Select Board member Gerry Weiss spoke in favor of granting asylum to cleared detainees. "At the heart of this request is, people are suffering, and suffering unjustly," Weiss said.

Weiss said he believes the vote can help undo some of the damage the federal government has done in the name of Amherst taxpayers. "We must do what we can to make amends," Weiss said.

Select Board Chairwoman Stephanie O'Keeffe disagreed, saying Town Meeting doesn't have expertise to offer meaningful guidance to Washington, and is concerned that Amherst is being portrayed as creating a safe haven for terrorists. Even if only perception, it reflects poorly on the town, and is a reason she couldn't support the article.

"But we must recognize our actions, and symbolic acts, can be interpreted in many ways," O'Keeffe said.

Stan Gawle of Precinct 2 said he has a problem with the article because he has read news stories that cleared detainees have gone back to killing American soldiers.

Carol Gray of Precinct 8 urged Town Meeting to support the article. "This is not our criminal justice system as we know it. This is an outrage," Gray said.

Ruth Hooke of Precinct 8, the lead petitioner, said it is also a means of changing policy. Though President Obama had said the base would close in 2010, pressure has been building to keep it open because of public fears about where detainees, both those who are cleared and those who are not, would be able to live.

The article doesn't commit the town to any money to house, educate or otherwise assist the detainees, if they do come to Amherst.

The two men who are the focus of Amherst's efforts are Ahmed Belbacha, a native of Algeria, and Ravil Mingazov, originally from Russia. Belbacha has already been cleared by the State Department and Pentagon, while Mingazov is awaiting his habeas corpus hearing

Town Meeting members also received a formal letter of support from Gage, who explained why it is a local matter worthy of being addressed.

Gage calls it "consistent with Amherst's tradition of welcoming refugees from other parts of the world and building bridges of understanding between Amherst and many far-away places" and noting the support western Massachusetts once gave to the Underground Railroad for those fleeing slavery, and now gives to exiled Tibetans.

Gage also said she believes Amherst can provide opportunities for these men to begin the healing process and regain their lives.

"There are not many communities in this country where this kind of welcome would be possible. By taking them in, we will demonstrate that in at least one local community Americans want to begin the personal healing process after a decade of fear- and hate-mongering."

The two-part article passed on a voice vote.

Town Meeting also got a letter of support from attorneys with Reprieve, a London-based organization representing Belbacha.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.