Beaten, tortured and witness to the deaths of fellow inmates; cleared for release by George W Bush in 2007 and again by Barack Obama, Shaker Aamer will soon be back with his family.

Not that soon, though. It's going to take another 30 days to "complete the legalities." Legalities? Even Shaker Aamer might have a laugh at that, except that this wholly innocent man, bought by the US from bounty-seekers, was incarcerated in Guantanamo without trial for all of the time it has taken a daughter he has never seen to reach the age of 13. There's not a lot to laugh at there.

The UK's role has been deplorable; for the US, Aamer's case is truly shaming. Shaming that a strong, rich, partly civilised nation should be reduced to paranoia by someone with no means to harm it even if he wanted to.

Bravo Clive Stafford Smith and his colleagues at Reprieve, which has long pressed for Aamer's release. All credit too to John McDonnell, the UK's new shadow chancellor (finance secretary), who formed and chaired an all-party parliamentary group at Westminster which has pursued Aamer's case tirelessly. And credit to the hundreds - maybe thousands - of others who campaigned for Aamer's release. Just a disgrace that their efforts were ever needed.