Hassan Anvar
Encyclopedia
Anwar Hassan is an Uyghur
refugee who was wrongly imprisoned for more than seven years in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detention camps.
Hassan is one of the 22 Uighurs held in Guantanamo
for many years despite it became clear early on that they were innocent.
to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct competent tribunal
s to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war
status.
Subsequently the Department of Defense
instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunal
s. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were lawful combatants -- rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush administration's definition of an enemy combatant
.
Hassan is one of the captives known to have had multiple reviews convened, after his initial review determined he was not an enemy combatant.
According to the study entitled, No-hearing hearings
, Hassan Anvar did not choose to attend his Tribunal.
The study identified Hassan as one of the captive whose first Tribunal had determined that they should not had been classified as an "enemy combatant
" in the first place, only to have subsequent Tribunals convened, which reversed the earlier determination.
The article quoted Mehmet Tohti, a Uyghur human rights activist who stated that he had met with Immigration Minister
Jason Kenney
. According to the Globe Tohti claimed there had been a positive consensus to admit Anvar, and two men whose lawyers have not authorized their names to be released.
The Don Valley Refugee Resettlement Organization has worked to sponsor Anvar's refugee claim.
announced that they would offer temporary asylum to some of the Uyghurs.
The government of Palau sent a delegation Guantanamo, and interviewed some of the remaining Uyghurs.
Some of the Uyghurs declined to be interviewed by the Palauns. In the end the government of Palau offered asylum to twelve of the remaining thirteen Uyghurs. Palau declined to offer asylum to one of the Uyghurs who suffered from a mental disorder, brought on by detention, that was too profound to be treated in Palau.
On October 31, 2009 "Anwar Hassan", Ahmad Tourson
, Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman
, Edham Mamet, Dawut Abdurehim
and Adel Noori
were released and transferred to Palau.
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
refugee who was wrongly imprisoned for more than seven years in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Guantanamo Bay detention camps.
Hassan is one of the 22 Uighurs held in Guantanamo
Uyghur detainees in Guantanamo
The United States government detained twenty-two Uyghurs in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp since 2002. As of today the five Uyghurs Abdul Razakah, Yusef Abbas, Hajiakbar Abdulghupur, Saidullah Khalik and Ahmed Mohamed remain in Guantanamo and have filed cases in US courts to obtain the right to...
for many years despite it became clear early on that they were innocent.
Combatant Status Review Tribunals
Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva ConventionsGeneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct competent tribunal
Competent tribunal
Competent Tribunal is a term used Article 5 paragraph 2 of the Third Geneva Convention, which states:-ICRC commentary on competent tribunals:...
s to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
status.
Subsequently the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were established July 7, 2004 by order of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense...
s. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were lawful combatants -- rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush administration's definition of an enemy combatant
Enemy combatant
Enemy combatant is a term historically referring to members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war. Prior to 2008, the definition was: "Any person in an armed conflict who could be properly detained under the laws and customs of war." In the case of a civil war or an...
.
Hassan is one of the captives known to have had multiple reviews convened, after his initial review determined he was not an enemy combatant.
According to the study entitled, No-hearing hearings
No-hearing hearings
No-hearing hearings is the title of a study published by Professor Mark P. Denbeaux of the Seton Hall University School of Law, his son Joshua Denbeaux, and some of his law students, on October 17, 2006....
, Hassan Anvar did not choose to attend his Tribunal.
The study identified Hassan as one of the captive whose first Tribunal had determined that they should not had been classified as an "enemy combatant
Enemy combatant
Enemy combatant is a term historically referring to members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war. Prior to 2008, the definition was: "Any person in an armed conflict who could be properly detained under the laws and customs of war." In the case of a civil war or an...
" in the first place, only to have subsequent Tribunals convened, which reversed the earlier determination.
Current status
On February 4, 2009 the Globe and Mail reported that Hassan Anvar's refugee claim, and the refugee claims of two of his compatriots were close to completion.The article quoted Mehmet Tohti, a Uyghur human rights activist who stated that he had met with Immigration Minister
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration (Canada)
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the federal government department responsible for immigration, refugee and citizenship issues, Citizenship and Immigration Canada...
Jason Kenney
Jason Kenney
Jason T. Kenney, PC, MP is Canada's current Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. He has represented the riding of Calgary Southeast in the Canadian House of Commons since 1997....
. According to the Globe Tohti claimed there had been a positive consensus to admit Anvar, and two men whose lawyers have not authorized their names to be released.
The Don Valley Refugee Resettlement Organization has worked to sponsor Anvar's refugee claim.
Temporary Asylum in Palau
In June 2009 the government of PalauPalau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
announced that they would offer temporary asylum to some of the Uyghurs.
The government of Palau sent a delegation Guantanamo, and interviewed some of the remaining Uyghurs.
Some of the Uyghurs declined to be interviewed by the Palauns. In the end the government of Palau offered asylum to twelve of the remaining thirteen Uyghurs. Palau declined to offer asylum to one of the Uyghurs who suffered from a mental disorder, brought on by detention, that was too profound to be treated in Palau.
On October 31, 2009 "Anwar Hassan", Ahmad Tourson
Ahmad Tourson
Ahmad Tourson or Ahmad Abdulahad is an Uyghur refugee unlawfully detained for more than seven years in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba despite it became clear early on that he was innocent....
, Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman
Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman
Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman is an Uyghur refugee best known for the more than seven years he spent in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba....
, Edham Mamet, Dawut Abdurehim
Dawut Abdurehim
On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published a nine page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.-Dawut Abdurehim v. George W. Bush:A writ of habeas corpus, Dawut Abdurehim v. George W...
and Adel Noori
Adel Noori
Adel Noori is an Uyghur refugee best known for the more than seven years he was wrongly imprisoned in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 584....
were released and transferred to Palau.
External links
- From Guantánamo to the United States: The Story of the Wrongly Imprisoned Uighurs Andy WorthingtonAndy WorthingtonAndy Worthington is a British historian, journalist, and film director.He has published three books, and been published in numerous publications.In 2009 Worthington was the co-director of a documentary about the Guantanamo detainees....
October 9, 2008 - Judge Ricardo Urbina’s unclassified opinion (redacted version)
- MOTIONS/STATUS HEARING - UIGHURS CASES BEFORE THE HONORABLE RICARDO M. URBINA
- Palau Uyghurs try to build new lives Kyodo NewsKyodo Newsis a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million subscribers. K. K. Kyodo News is Kyodo News' business...
December 15, 2009 - Human Rights First; Habeas Works: Federal Courts’ Proven Capacity to Handle Guantánamo Cases (2010)