The Pavilion MP will co-host a screening of a powerful new documentary on the United States' detention facility at Guantánamo Bay at the House of Commons tomorrow (21 June).

The film screening will be followed by a Q&A session with a panel of distinguished guests, including former Guantánamo prisoner Moazzam Begg, lawyers Tom Wilner and Gareth Peirce, and former Guardian journalist, Victoria Brittain (1).

Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo gives a vivid and penetrating account of the torture, extraordinary rendition and the network of secret prisons employed by the Bush administration in its infamous ‘War on Terror'.

Focusing on the stories of three prisoners, Shaker Aamer, Binyam Mohamed and Omar Deghayes, the film examines how the US government turned its back on domestic and international law, rounding up prisoners in Afghanistan and Pakistan without adequate screening and often for large bounty payments.

Caroline Lucas, who is one of three MPs co-hosting the screening tomorrow, said:

"This is an immensely important film in helping us to understand the truth about the gross human rights abuses at Guantánamo - which, lest we forget, remains open and fully operational to this day.

"It's especially vital that fellow Members of Parliament see the film; firstly, because we can step up the pressure on the UK government to insist that President Obama keep his promise to close the camp, once and for all.

"And secondly, so that MPs, both in government and in opposition, can work to ensure that we don't repeat the terrible mistakes of the past. We must never again seek to defend our society by flouting the fundamental principles upon which it is based."

Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK, said:

"Outside the Law is a powerful film that has helped ensure that Guantánamo and the men unlawfully held there have not been forgotten."

ENDS

Notes

1) The film screening on 21 June will be hosted by Caroline Lucas MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP and Peter Bottomley MP.

2) It will be followed by a Q&A session with a panel of distinguished guests, many of whom have first-hand experience of Guantánamo.

Moazzam Begg was held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and Guantánamo, from 2002 to 2005. His story is told in the film.

Tom Wilner was one of the first lawyers to go into Guantánamo and has represented many Guantanamo detainees. He was part of the team which took the Bush Administration to the Supreme Court in the United States and won habeas corpus rights for prisoners. http://www.shearman.com/twilner/

Gareth Pierce is a British human rights lawyer who has represented Guantánamo detainees including Moazzam Begg.

Victoria Brittain is a commentator on human rights issues and has written extensively on Guantánamo. She is a former associate foreign editor of the Guardian. Her books include Hidden Lives, Hidden Deaths and Death of Dignity.

The panel will also include the film's directors, Polly Nash and Andy Worthington. Polly is a film-maker and Senior Lecturer in Film and Media at the London College of Communication.

Andy is a journalist and author of The Guantanamo Files. He worked as a media partner for Wikileaks' release of classified military documents relating to the Guantanamo prisoners in April 2011.