PJ Harvey reveals new protest song ‘Shaker Aamer’ – listen

Protest song designed to raise attention to the plight of a British national imprisoned by the US in Guantanamo Bay since 2002

PJ Harvey has revealed a new song, her first since releasing her ‘Let England Shake’ album in 2011.

‘Shaker Aamer’ is a protest song designed to raise attention to the plight of a British national imprisoned by the US in Guantanamo Bay since 2002. Despite never being charged with a crime, Aamer has spent 11 years in prison and was cleared for release in 2007 by President George W Bush and again in 2009 by Barack Obama. Scroll down to hear ‘Shaker Aamer’ now.

Speaking to The Guardian, Clive Stafford Smith, Aamer’s lawyer, said: “We hope people listen to this song and think about Shaker Aamer’s plight: detained for 11 years, without charge or trial – despite having been cleared for release by both Bush and Obama.”

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“The UK government must do everything it can to bring Shaker back home to his wife and kids in London, where he belongs. PJ Harvey has written a wonderful song – I know Shaker will be deeply moved by it, and I only hope that, with the support of the public, he will one day be able to listen to it in freedom.”

Most recently, PJ Harvey was awarded an MBE on the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Harvey also warned it could be some time before she releases a ‘Let England Shake’ follow-up – in 2011 she claimed it could take 10 years before she was ready to put out a new record.

PJ Harvey’s most recent studio effort ‘Let England Shake’ received widespread critical acclaim and was named NME’s Album Of The Year and the Mercury Music Prize in 2011. She released her debut album ‘Dry’ in 1992 and has since gone on to put out a slew of LPs including ‘Rid Of Me’ (1993), ‘To Bring You My Love’ (1995), ‘Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea’ (2000) and ‘White Chalk’ (2007).

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