A Monthly Newsmagazine from Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT)
To Gain access to thousands of articles, khutbas, conferences, books (including tafsirs) & to participate in life enhancing events

News & Analysis

The Forgotten Prisoners at America’s Gulag: Guantanamo Bay

Zia Sarhadi

Since it opened in January 2002, the US prison at the illegally occupied Guantanamo Bay island of Cuba has incarcerated hundreds of prisoners in animal-like cages. At its peak, there were 779 prisoners at the torture chamber, away from the prying eyes of the world, and hence forgotten. Today, only 40 prisoners remain but there appears little chance of their release anytime soon.

Of the original 779 prisoners branded the “worst of the worst”, by the notorious war criminal Donald Rumsfeld, 729 have been released or transferred, including one who was transferred to the US to be tried. Nine others died in the torture chamber, the most recent being Adnan Latif, in September 2012. Those released had done absolutely nothing wrong; they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and were caught in the US dragnet in the wake of the 911 attacks.

Among the 40 men still being held, five were recommended for release by high-level governmental review processes under President Barack Obama. There was no evidence against them of any wrongdoing whatsoever. When Donald Trump took office in January 2017, he simply ignored these recommendations. He even threatened to lock up more people at Gitmo.

While he has not done so, Trump has in his entire time in office (January 2017 – present) released only one man, Ahmed al-Darbi. He was returned to Saudi Arabia for ongoing imprisonment in May 2018, under the terms of a plea deal he agreed to four years earlier. Even this was delayed by six weeks.

Given below are the names of prisoners (courtesy, closeguantanamo.org), still languishing in Gitmo and their status in terms of whether they will be prosecuted at the kangaroo military tribunal or held without trial indefinitely. The number before each person’s name is his ISN numbers (the “Internment Security Number” by which he is identified in Guantánamo). Even their humanity has been taken away from them. They are simply numbers in a game in which the Washington warlords feel they can do what they like to anybody because they are above the law.

  1. 027 Uthman, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed (Yemen) Recommended for continued detention and possible transfer to detention in the US, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board. His review took place in April 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in May 2016; another review took place in December 2016, but in January 2017, just days before President Obama left office, his ongoing imprisonment was again upheld; also see: “The Seven Guantánamo Prisoners Whose Appeals Were Turned Down by the Supreme Court"
  2. 028 Al Alwi, Moath (aka Muaz Al Alawi) (Yemen) Recommended for continued detention, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in September 2015, and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in October 2015; also see: "The Seven Guantánamo Prisoners Whose Appeals Were Turned Down by the Supreme Court," "Voices from the Hunger Strike in Guantánamo" and "War Is Over, Set Us Free, Say Guantánamo Prisoners; Judge Says No"
  3. 038 Al Yazidi, Ridah (Tunisia) Cleared for release
  4. 039 Al Bahlul, Ali Hamza (Yemen) Convicted pre-Obama, and given a life sentence, although that conviction was largely, but not entirely overturned on appeal; see "Ali Hamza Al-Bahlul, David Hicks and the Legal Collapse of the Military Commissions at Guantánamo" and In Contentious Split Decision, Appeals Court Upholds Guantánamo Prisoner Ali Hamza Al-Bahlul’s Conspiracy Conviction
  5. 063 Al Qahtani, Mohammed (Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in June 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in July 2016
  6. 242 Qasim, Khaled (Yemen) Recommended for continued detention, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in February 2015 and he was recommended for ongoing detention in March 2015
  7. 244 Nasir, Abdul Latif (Morocco) Recommended for continued detention, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in June 2016 and he was approved for release in July 2016
  8. 309 Abdal Sattar, Muieen (UAE) Cleared for release
  9. 569 Al Shorabi, Zohair (Yemen) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in March 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in March 2016
  10. 682 Al Sharbi, Ghassan (Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in June 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in July 2016
  11. 685 Ali, Abdelrazak (aka Saeed Bakhouche) (Algeria)Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in May 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing detention in July 2016
  12. 694 Barhoumi, Sufyian (Algeria) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in May 2016 and he was approved for release in August 2016
  13. 708 Al Bakush, Ismael (Libya) Recommended for continued detention, but determined to be eligible in April 2013 for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in July 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in August 2016
  14. 841 Nashir, Said Salih Said (Yemen) Recommended for continued detention, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in April 2016, and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in November 2016; another review took place almost immediately, in December 2016, but in January 2017 his ongoing imprisonment was again upheld
  15. 893 Al Bihani, Tawfiq (Saudi Arabia) Cleared for release; also see: "The Seven Guantánamo Prisoners Whose Appeals Were Turned Down by the Supreme Court"
  16. 1017 Al Rammah, Omar (Zakaria al-Baidany) (Yemen)Recommended for continued detention and possible transfer to detention in the US, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in July 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in August 2016
  17. 1094 Paracha, Saifullah (Pakistan) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place on March 8, 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in April 2016; another review took place in March 2017, but his ongoing imprisonment was again upheld in April 2017
  18. 1453 Al Kazimi, Sanad (Yemen) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in May 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in June 2016
  19. 1456 Bin Attash, Hassan (Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in September 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in October 2016
  20. 1457 Sharqawi, Abdu Ali (Yemen) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in March 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in April 2016
  21. 1460 Rabbani, Abdul Rahim Ghulam (Pakistan) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in July 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in August 2016
  22. 1461 Rabbani, Mohammed Ghulam (Ahmed Rabbani) (Pakistan) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in September 2016, and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in October 2016
  23. 1463 Al Hela, Abdulsalam (Yemen) Recommended for continued detention and possible transfer to detention in the US, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in May 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in June 2016
  24. 10011 Al Hawsawi, Mustafa (Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution, he was charged and pre-trial hearings are underway
  25. 10013 Bin Al Shibh, Ramzi (Yemen) Recommended for prosecution, he was charged and pre-trial hearings are underway
  26. 10014 Bin Attash, Waleed (Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution, he was charged and pre-trial hearings are underway
  27. 10015 Al Nashiri, Abd Al Rahim (Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution, he was charged and pre-trial hearings are underway
  28. 10016 Zubaydah, Abu (Palestine-Saudi Arabia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016
  29. 10017 Al Libi, Abu Faraj (Libya) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in September 2016
  30. 10018 Al Baluchi, Ammar (Ali Abd Al Aziz Ali) (Pakistan-Kuwait) Recommended for prosecution, he was charged and pre-trial hearings are underway
  31. 10019 Isamuddin, Riduan (Hambali) (Indonesia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in September 2016
  32. 10020 Khan, Majid (Pakistan) Recommended for prosecution, he accepted a plea deal in February 2012, although his sentencing has still not taken place
  33. 10021 Bin Amin, Modh Farik (Zubair) (Malaysia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in September 2016
  34. 10022 Bin Lep, Mohammed (Lillie) (Malaysia) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in September 2016
  35. 10023 Dourad, Gouled Hassan (Somalia) Recommended for continued detention and possible transfer to detention in the US, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in September 2016
  36. 10024 Mohammed, Khalid Sheikh (Pakistan-Kuwait) Recommended for prosecution, he was charged and pre-trial hearings are underway
  37. 10025 Malik, Mohammed Abdul (Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu) (Kenya) Recommended for continued detention, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in May 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in June 2016
  38. 10026 Al Iraqi, Abd Al Hadi (Iraq) Recommended for prosecution and charged, even though he had been determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board
  39. 3148 Al Afghani, Haroon (Afghanistan) Recommended for prosecution by the task force in January 2010, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in June 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in July 2016
  40. 10029 Rahim, Muhammad (Afghanistan) Recommended for continued detention and possible transfer to detention in the US, but determined in April 2013 to be eligible for a Periodic Review Board; his review took place in August 2016 and he was recommended for ongoing imprisonment in September 2016

Many of these men were arrested in Pakistan and handed over to the Americans for a bounty. Then Pakistani dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, has confessed in his book, In the Line of Fire, that he and his colleagues collected millions in bounty for “capturing” and “handing over” these men to the Americans. Among them was also Mullah Abdus Salam Zaeef, the Taliban’s ambassador in Islamabad. It would be hard to find another example of a country violating the norms of diplomacy in such a brazen manner.

Many detainees suffered torture, both physical and psychological and in some instances even sexual abuse. Waterboarding, sleep deprivation for prolonged periods and subjected to loud music were some of the techniques used against them. Slamming against the wall was also a common practice.


Article from

Crescent International Vol. 49, No. 9

Rabi' al-Awwal 15, 14422020-11-01


Sign In


 

Forgot Password ?


 

Not a Member? Sign Up