Mohammed Sulaymon Barre
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Saleban Bare (born December 27, 1964) is a Somali
refugee who was held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
.
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
counter-terror analysts report that he was born on December 27, 1964, in Burco
, Somalia
.
According to the Washington Post the allegations against Barre are internally inconsistent.
He is accused of involvement with al Qaeda, when it was based in Sudan
, in 1994 and 1995, when United Nations
documents confirm he was living in a U.N. refugee camp in Pakistan.
High Commission for Refugees wrote the Pentagon, on December 20, 2006, seeking information on why Barre, and another man were being detained in Guantanamo.
The UNHCR had not known until December 2006 that the Americans were holding internationally recognized refugees in Guantanamo.
Barre was granted UN refugee status in Pakistan in 1994. Mammar Ameur
was granted UN refugee status in Pakistan in 1996. A third captive, Fethi Boucetta
, was one of the 38 captives who was determined not have been an "enemy combatant" after all.
, the Somalia-based hawala he worked for had ties to Al Barakat, another Somalia-based hawala that had its assets frozen, and some of its agents arrested, because it was suspected of laundering money for terrorists.
On August 28, 2006 the BBC
reported that Al Barakat had been removed from the US terrorist organization watchlist.
The BBC's report stated that Al Barakat made the watchlist because American intelligence analysts had suspected it had been used to finance the 9-11 hijackers, but that the 911 Commission had investigated this theory and found it baseless.
Some al Barakat agents were also individually listed as suspected terrorist. The owner of Al Barakat, Ahmed Nur Ali Jimaale, said that the company's agent in Sweden was the last to be cleared of suspicion.
from Mohammed's father, Sulaymon Barre Ali.
would allow Mohammed Sulaymon Barre to file a habeas corpus
petition.
J. Wells Dixon will be representing him.
On 15 July 2008 Emilou Maclean filed a "NOTICE OF FILING OF MOTION FOR ENTRY OF PROTECTIVE ORDER ON CONSENT" on behalf of Mohammed Sulaymon Barre (ISN 567) in Civil Action No. 08-cv-1153 (HHK).
mirror
On December 30, 2008 United States Department of Justice
official Daniel M. Barish informed the court that the DoJ had filed "factual returns" in seven habeas cases, including Mohammed Sulaymon Barre's.
, writing in the Miami Herald reported that Barre was one of twelve men transferred from Guantanamo on December 19, 2009. Rosenberg reported that Barre and another Somali(Ismael Arale) had been arrived in Somaliland
, where they were promptly released and rejoined their families in Hargeisa
(capital of the region). She reported that, according to local Somaliland newspapers, the two Somalis had been transferred to a third country, and had arrived in Somaliland on a plane provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross
.
The other eleven men were:
Ayman Batarfi,
Jamal Alawi Mari,
Farouq Ali Ahmed,
Muhammaed Yasir Ahmed Taher,
Fayad Yahya Ahmed al Rami,
Riyad Atiq Ali Abdu al Haf,
Abdul Hafiz,
Sharifullah,
Mohamed Rahim
,
Mohammed Hashim and
Ismael Arale.
Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim and Mohammed Hashim were Afghans
.
Asmael Arale was the other Somali.
The other six men were Yemenis
.
After his release Barre described Guantanamo as a "living hell", and noted: "Some of my colleagues in the prison lost their sight, some lost their limbs and others ended up mentally disturbed. I'm OK compared to them."
Somali people
Somalis are an ethnic group located in the Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula. The overwhelming majority of Somalis speak the Somali language, which is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family...
refugee who was held in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
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, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Joint Task Force Guantanamo is a U.S. military joint task force based at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba on the southeastern end of the island. JTF-GTMO falls under US Southern Command...
counter-terror analysts report that he was born on December 27, 1964, in Burco
Burco
Burao is the capital city of the Togdheer province in Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region of Somalia. In terms of population, it is the second largest city in Somaliland after Hargeisa.-History:...
, Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
.
According to the Washington Post the allegations against Barre are internally inconsistent.
He is accused of involvement with al Qaeda, when it was based in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, in 1994 and 1995, when United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
documents confirm he was living in a U.N. refugee camp in Pakistan.
Barre's refugee status
The United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
High Commission for Refugees wrote the Pentagon, on December 20, 2006, seeking information on why Barre, and another man were being detained in Guantanamo.
The UNHCR had not known until December 2006 that the Americans were holding internationally recognized refugees in Guantanamo.
Barre was granted UN refugee status in Pakistan in 1994. Mammar Ameur
Mammar Ameur
Mammar Ameur is a citizen of Algeria who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.The Department of Defense reports that Ameur was born on December 1, 1958, in L'aghouat, Algeria....
was granted UN refugee status in Pakistan in 1996. A third captive, Fethi Boucetta
Fethi Boucetta
-Determined not to have been an Enemy Combatant:The Washington Post reports that Boucetta was one of 38 detainees who was determined not to have been an enemy combatant during his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.They report that Boucetta has been released....
, was one of the 38 captives who was determined not have been an "enemy combatant" after all.
Al Barakat removed from the USA's watchlist of organizations tied to terrorism
One of the justifications for Barre's continued detention was that American intelligence analysts suspected that DahabshiilDahabshiil
Dahabshiil is an international funds transfer company headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Formed in the early 1970s, the firm operates from over 24,000 outlets and employs more than 2,000 people across 144 countries. It provides a broad range of financial services to international...
, the Somalia-based hawala he worked for had ties to Al Barakat, another Somalia-based hawala that had its assets frozen, and some of its agents arrested, because it was suspected of laundering money for terrorists.
On August 28, 2006 the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that Al Barakat had been removed from the US terrorist organization watchlist.
The BBC's report stated that Al Barakat made the watchlist because American intelligence analysts had suspected it had been used to finance the 9-11 hijackers, but that the 911 Commission had investigated this theory and found it baseless.
Some al Barakat agents were also individually listed as suspected terrorist. The owner of Al Barakat, Ahmed Nur Ali Jimaale, said that the company's agent in Sweden was the last to be cleared of suspicion.
Letter to President Obama from Mohammed's father
On June 26, 2009 the Washington Post published a letter to United States President Barack ObamaBarack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
from Mohammed's father, Sulaymon Barre Ali.
New habeas corpus petition
On 28 June 2008 the Washington Post reported that the Supreme Court's ruling in Boumediene v. BushBoumediene v. Bush
Boumediene v. Bush, 553 U.S. 723 , was a writ of habeas corpus submission made in a civilian court of the United States on behalf of Lakhdar Boumediene, a naturalized citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, held in military detention by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camps in Cuba...
would allow Mohammed Sulaymon Barre to file a habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
petition.
J. Wells Dixon will be representing him.
On 15 July 2008 Emilou Maclean filed a "NOTICE OF FILING OF MOTION FOR ENTRY OF PROTECTIVE ORDER ON CONSENT" on behalf of Mohammed Sulaymon Barre (ISN 567) in Civil Action No. 08-cv-1153 (HHK).
mirror
On December 30, 2008 United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
official Daniel M. Barish informed the court that the DoJ had filed "factual returns" in seven habeas cases, including Mohammed Sulaymon Barre's.
Repatriation
Carol RosenbergCarol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg is a senior journalist, currently with the McClatchy News Service.Rosenberg works at the Miami Herald, which has provided extensive coverage of the operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.-Biography:...
, writing in the Miami Herald reported that Barre was one of twelve men transferred from Guantanamo on December 19, 2009. Rosenberg reported that Barre and another Somali(Ismael Arale) had been arrived in Somaliland
Somaliland
Somaliland is an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The government of Somaliland regards itself as the successor state to the British Somaliland protectorate, which was independent for a few days in 1960 as the State of...
, where they were promptly released and rejoined their families in Hargeisa
Hargeisa
Hargeisa is a city in the northwestern Woqooyi Galbeed region of Somalia. With a population of approximately 2 million residents, it is the second largest city in the country. Hargeisa is the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared republic that is internationally recognized as an autonomous region...
(capital of the region). She reported that, according to local Somaliland newspapers, the two Somalis had been transferred to a third country, and had arrived in Somaliland on a plane provided by 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...
.
The other eleven men were:
Ayman Batarfi,
Jamal Alawi Mari,
Farouq Ali Ahmed,
Muhammaed Yasir Ahmed Taher,
Fayad Yahya Ahmed al Rami,
Riyad Atiq Ali Abdu al Haf,
Abdul Hafiz,
Sharifullah,
Mohamed Rahim
Mohamed Rahim
Mohamed Naeem Rahim is a citizen of Afghanistan who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba.His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 1104.The Department of Defense reports he was born in Ghazni....
,
Mohammed Hashim and
Ismael Arale.
Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim and Mohammed Hashim were Afghans
Afghan captives in Guantanamo
According to the United States Department of Defense, there were over two hundred Afghan detainees in Guantanamo prior to May 15, 2006.The Guantanamo Bay detention camp was opened on January 11, 2002....
.
Asmael Arale was the other Somali.
The other six men were Yemenis
Yemeni captives in Guantanamo
The United States were holding a total of 112 Yemeni citizen at Guantanamo Bay.By January 2008 the Yemenis in Guantanamo represented the largest group of detainees....
.
After his release Barre described Guantanamo as a "living hell", and noted: "Some of my colleagues in the prison lost their sight, some lost their limbs and others ended up mentally disturbed. I'm OK compared to them."
External links
- “Hell on Earth”: Released Somali Speaks about Guantánamo 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....
December 23, 2009 - Guantanamo 'hell on Earth', says Somali detainee