For over 8 years, Moazzam Begg has been denied the legal and legitimate right to his passport by the Home Office. Moazzam’s passport was revoked as part of a long and systematic harassment since his release from Guantanamo. Moazzam’s work shines a light on state abuse and raises uncomfortable questions about government complicity in torture and violations of our basic rights. The removal of his passport therefore is a clear attempt to silence dissent and prevent him from conducting his cutting edge investigations.

As someone who once travelled globally to document uncomfortable truths about state crimes and curtailed rights and freedoms, Moazzam now finds himself targeted by those who benefit from his silence. Donate today and help Moazzam get his passport back. 

Full background:

The story of Moazzam Begg’s exposure to the dark side of state power now runs over two decades long. From Afghanistan to Guantanamo to Britain, Moazzam has experienced multiple government agencies bypass due process and behave with impunity in extra- judicial abuses including torture, forced confessions and unabating harassment.  In the face of this, Moazzam has publicly campaigned as an advocate for justice, educating global audiences on the arbitrary and oppressive abuse of state power- be they the British or US government, MI5, the FBI, the CIA or the institutions of ‘counter-terrorism’ and ‘counter extremism’. 

While never tried for any crime, Moazzam has faced years of targeted actions to quell his political resistance. In a long and weary line of attempts, state agencies have used police raids, imprisonment, bank closures, arrests and Schedule 7 stops to intimidate and criminalise dissenting voices.

After Moazzam’s release from prison in Guantanamo, he spent years travelling internationally speaking at War Tribunals and conferences – raising awareness while holding those who were complicit in his torture to account. Moazzam’s work helped to unite campaigners across the globe in a coherent, strong and unrelenting call for awareness and accountability. 

Such voices are rarely welcomed, however. And so continued a drawn out saga where Moazzam's passport was removed from him 3 times in total, with either no explanation given or vague and obscure reasons cited. Undoubtedly, the denial of his passport is a collateral consequence of his unwelcome public advocacy to stand against state repression. 

Upon returning to the UK after being released from Guantanamo Bay in 2005, Moazzam’s passport was removed by the Home Office for the first time.The second time Moazzam’s passport was seized was in 2013, when police forcibly removed it from him after a trip overseas. Particularly poignant, Moazzam had just returned from South Africa, where he witnessed the lasting trauma of state oppression as South Africa struggled through the consequence of being an apartheid state steeped in injustice. 

Immediately following the confiscation of his passport, an orchestrated hysteria around Moazzam’s work was constructed and he was hastily arrested. Moazzam was imprisoned in Belmarsh high security prison for 7 months and once again, was separated from his family and children. With no credible evidence, the case against Moazzam collapsed just a few days before he was due to go to trial, with the appointed officer declaring Moazzam an innocent man. Despite this admission, the Home Office failed to return Moazzam’s passport, claiming delays were due to essential “checks” they needed to complete. 

In September 2021, Moazzam’s passport was returned to him. The relief was short-lived however, as a letter from the Home Office arrived shortly afterwards declaring the passport was sent in error, and warned any attempt to use it would be considered a criminal offence.

Moazzam is a well-known and respected community leader who has been actively holding the government to account. As a consequence, he has been deliberately targeted by the state with a range of sanctions. This passport removal is the latest in a string of tactics to apply pressure and remove him from his role. He will not be silenced and his passport must be returned to him.

Moazzam is supported by CAGE in bringing his challenge against the Home Office, with his legal team initiating the first steps in a judicial review against the injustice, harassment and arbitrary decision not to return his passport to him. Freedom of movement is a fundamental human right and the removal of Moazzam's passport is part of an expansive targeting of dissenters and truth tellers.

Support us today, and stand in solidarity with Moazzam’s call for justice. Help us raise the funds necessary for this important legal challenge, as we not only give Moazzam his day in court but speak up for the many others who’ve faced the same fate.