Muhammad Assad
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Assad is a citizen of Yemen
who, according to Amnesty International
, was subjected to extraordinary rendition
by the CIA, and held in the CIA's network of black site
s -- secret interrogation centers.
Assad had been living and working in Tanzania
. Amnesty International reports he was captured on December 26, 2003, and held by CIA until May 2005.
Asad says that the only thing he was asked about during his interrogation was the Al-Haramain Foundation
, which the Bush administration has listed as a charity tied to terrorism. His interrogators believed he had worked for Al-Haramain.
In May 2005, Muhammad Assad, and two other Yemenis, Salah Ali and Muhammad Bashmilah, were transferred to Yemeni custody.
In November 2005 Anne FitzGerald a policy researcher for Amnesty International, spoke about interviews she conducted with the three men.
She said that she found the men's accounts credible, because their accounts of CIA custody were consistent, even though they had never been detained together, either in their US custody, or in Yemeni custody. According to Fitzergerald, the three describe being held in solitary confinement
, isolated from all contact with the outside world, under conditions Amnesty International described as "sensory deprivation".
According to the Washington Post, as of November 2005, all three men remained in Yemeni custody.
Muhammad Assad was held in
a "security prison at Al Ghaydah
".
The Washington Post contacted the CIA, and reported that CIA officials declined to refute or confirm the Amnesty International account.
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
who, according to Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, was subjected to extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
by the CIA, and held in the CIA's network of black site
Black site
In military terminology, a black site is a location at which an unacknowledged black project is conducted. Recently, the term has gained notoriety in describing secret prisons operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency , generally outside of U.S. territory and legal jurisdiction. It...
s -- secret interrogation centers.
Assad had been living and working in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. Amnesty International reports he was captured on December 26, 2003, and held by CIA until May 2005.
Asad says that the only thing he was asked about during his interrogation was the Al-Haramain Foundation
Al-Haramain Foundation
Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation was a charity foundation, based in Saudi Arabia, alleged by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in a September 2004 press release to have "direct links" with Osama bin Laden...
, which the Bush administration has listed as a charity tied to terrorism. His interrogators believed he had worked for Al-Haramain.
In May 2005, Muhammad Assad, and two other Yemenis, Salah Ali and Muhammad Bashmilah, were transferred to Yemeni custody.
In November 2005 Anne FitzGerald a policy researcher for Amnesty International, spoke about interviews she conducted with the three men.
She said that she found the men's accounts credible, because their accounts of CIA custody were consistent, even though they had never been detained together, either in their US custody, or in Yemeni custody. According to Fitzergerald, the three describe being held in 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...
, isolated from all contact with the outside world, under conditions Amnesty International described as "sensory deprivation".
According to the Washington Post, as of November 2005, all three men remained in Yemeni custody.
Muhammad Assad was held in
a "security prison at Al Ghaydah
Al Ghaydah
Al Ghaydah is the capital city of Al Mahrah Governorate in southeastern Yemen. It is located at around ....
".
The Washington Post contacted the CIA, and reported that CIA officials declined to refute or confirm the Amnesty International account.