Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Sadi
Encyclopedia
Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Saadi or Amer al-Saadi (born April 5, 1938), "the organizational genius behind the Iraqi superweapons program," was Saddam Hussein
's liaison with the UN inspectors in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. Like the defector Hussein Kamel al-Majid, he insisted Iraq had destroyed its prohibited weapons. While he was dismissed by the US as a liar, he was vindicated by the subsequent failure to uncover weapons of mass destruction
by the Iraqi Survey Group.
He was #32 on the most-wanted list
, and seven of diamonds in the card deck
.
journalists who he asked to monitor and document his surrender. He was detained in Baghdad International Airport
as a "High Value Detainee". As such he has been subjected to solitary confinement
for 23 hours a day. The International Committee of the Red Cross
stated in its confidential report to the coalition authority that this constituted a "serious violation of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions". He was both the first person on the most wanted list to turn himself in, and the first to be detained by the U.S.
According to a written Parliamentary answer by Dennis Mcshane MP to Angus Robertson MP, Amer Al Saadi was released by the US on 18 January 2005. However, as detailed here, this claim is highly dubious. A June 20, 2005 Newsweek article reported that a "State Department official...denied al-Sadi had been freed from custody," while in July, 2005 (i.e., well after January), Dr. Rod Barton, an Australian scientist who was a key deputy to Charles Duelfer, made a strong plea for the release of Dr. al-Saadi, which would certainly indicate that someone in a position to know still believed him to be held.
al-Saadi's key role in refuting U.S. allegations of Iraqi WMD, including those of Colin Powell at the United Nations, almost certainly play a key role in his continued detention.
from Battersea College of Technology
. During his study he married a German in London
in October 1963; their common language is English. Mrs al-Saadi raised their children in Hamburg
.
He retired a lieutenant general in 1994 and was made a presidential scientific advisor.
He was not a member of the Ba'ath Party.
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's liaison with the UN inspectors in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. Like the defector Hussein Kamel al-Majid, he insisted Iraq had destroyed its prohibited weapons. While he was dismissed by the US as a liar, he was vindicated by the subsequent failure to uncover weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
by the Iraqi Survey Group.
He was #32 on the most-wanted list
U.S. list of most-wanted Iraqis
In April 2003, the United States drew up a list of most-wanted Iraqis, consisting of the 55 members of the deposed Iraqi regime whom they most wanted to capture. The list was turned into a set of playing cards for distribution to United States troops...
, and seven of diamonds in the card deck
Most-wanted Iraqi playing cards
In the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a United States-led coalition, the U.S. military developed a set of playing cards to help troops identify the most-wanted members of President Saddam Hussein's government, mostly high-ranking Baath Party members or members of the Revolutionary Command Council...
.
Detainment
He turned himself in to coalition forces on April 12, 2003, with the help of ZDFZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
journalists who he asked to monitor and document his surrender. He was detained in Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport
Baghdad International Airport, originally Saddam International Airport, , BIAP is Iraq's largest airport, located in a suburb about west of downtown Baghdad in the Baghdad Governorate...
as a "High Value Detainee". As such he has been subjected to solitary confinement
Solitary confinement
Solitary confinement is a special form of imprisonment in which a prisoner is isolated from any human contact, though often with the exception of members of prison staff. It is sometimes employed as a form of punishment beyond incarceration for a prisoner, and has been cited as an additional...
for 23 hours a day. The International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
stated in its confidential report to the coalition authority that this constituted a "serious violation of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions". He was both the first person on the most wanted list to turn himself in, and the first to be detained by the U.S.
According to a written Parliamentary answer by Dennis Mcshane MP to Angus Robertson MP, Amer Al Saadi was released by the US on 18 January 2005. However, as detailed here, this claim is highly dubious. A June 20, 2005 Newsweek article reported that a "State Department official...denied al-Sadi had been freed from custody," while in July, 2005 (i.e., well after January), Dr. Rod Barton, an Australian scientist who was a key deputy to Charles Duelfer, made a strong plea for the release of Dr. al-Saadi, which would certainly indicate that someone in a position to know still believed him to be held.
al-Saadi's key role in refuting U.S. allegations of Iraqi WMD, including those of Colin Powell at the United Nations, almost certainly play a key role in his continued detention.
Career
He was awarded a PhD is in physical chemistryPhysical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts...
from Battersea College of Technology
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
. During his study he married a German in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in October 1963; their common language is English. Mrs al-Saadi raised their children in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
He retired a lieutenant general in 1994 and was made a presidential scientific advisor.
He was not a member of the Ba'ath Party.