Hiwa Abdul Rahman Rashul
Encyclopedia
Hiwa Abdul Rahman Rashul, nicknamed Triple-X by his American
guards, was the first ghost detainee
to be publicly acknowledged by American authorities.
Captured by Kurd
ish forces in Iraq
in June or July 2003, he was turned over to the CIA
who believed he was a member of Ansar al-Islam
. He was then moved to a CIA prison in Afghanistan.
Office of Legal Counsel
representative Jack L. Goldsmith informed Alberto R. Gonzales in October 2003 that Rashul was legally protected under the 4th Geneva Convention, and must legally be returned to Iraq.
On June 16, 2004 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
acknowledged that he had ordered Rashul to be imprisoned without record, at the request of DCI
George Tenet
.
Rashul was nicknamed "Triple-X" because, since he was kept off the books, his guards never learned his real name. When some of the circumstance of his incarceration became public, it was suggested that the reason he had been secretly incarcerated for seven months, without being interrogated, was that he got lost. Because of the order to keep him off the books those who would have interrogated him forgot about him, or could not find him. His whereabouts since 2004 are classified.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guards, was the first ghost detainee
Ghost detainee
Ghost detainee is an official term used by the U.S. Government to designate a person held in a detention center, whose identity has been hidden by keeping them unregistered and therefore anonymous. It was also used in the same manner by the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center at the Abu...
to be publicly acknowledged by American authorities.
Captured by Kurd
Kürd
Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...
ish forces in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
in June or July 2003, he was turned over to the CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
who believed he was a member of Ansar al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam
Ansar al-Islam is a Sunni Islamist group of Iraqis, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam, close to the official Saudi ideology of Wahhabism with strict application of Sharia. The group was formed in the northern provinces of Iraq near the Iranian border, and previously had established...
. He was then moved to a CIA prison in Afghanistan.
Office of Legal Counsel
Office of Legal Counsel
The Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
representative Jack L. Goldsmith informed Alberto R. Gonzales in October 2003 that Rashul was legally protected under the 4th Geneva Convention, and must legally be returned to Iraq.
On June 16, 2004 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
acknowledged that he had ordered Rashul to be imprisoned without record, at the request of DCI
Director of Central Intelligence
The Office of United States Director of Central Intelligence was the head of the United States Central Intelligence Agency, the principal intelligence advisor to the President and the National Security Council, and the coordinator of intelligence activities among and between the various United...
George Tenet
George Tenet
George John Tenet was the Director of Central Intelligence for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, and is Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University....
.
Rashul was nicknamed "Triple-X" because, since he was kept off the books, his guards never learned his real name. When some of the circumstance of his incarceration became public, it was suggested that the reason he had been secretly incarcerated for seven months, without being interrogated, was that he got lost. Because of the order to keep him off the books those who would have interrogated him forgot about him, or could not find him. His whereabouts since 2004 are classified.
External links
- Transcript of a briefing, from Secretary Rumsfeld, where he answers questions on ghost detainees, June 17, 2004
- Rumsfeld Ordered Prisoner Hidden, CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, June 17, 2004 - Rumsfeld ordered secret detention of Iraqi suspect, The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, June 18, 2004 - Iraq's invisible man: A 'ghost' inmate's strange life behind bars, US News and World Report, June 28, 2004
- Hiding a bad guy named Triple X: How the military treated some inmates at Abu Ghraib like 'ghosts', US News and World Report, June 28, 2004
- Army, CIA Agreed on 'Ghost' Prisoners, Washington Post, March 11, 2005
- Extraordinary Rendition: A Human Rights Analysis