The children of Guantanamo detainee and British resident Shaker Aamer have submitted statements to a US Senate hearing on the closure of the prison, describing life without their father. On 24 July, the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights – Chaired by Senator Richard Durbin – held a hearing on closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was the first hearing of its kind since 2009. In a statement put on the record at the hearing, Shaker’s son Michael wrote: “Since I have grown up I find it very difficult without my dad. I can feel how hard it is for my mum. Even though he has been cleared for release, he has been tortured.” (Ekklesia)