Uyghur detainees in Guantanamo
Encyclopedia
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 be brought to the United States. Several support groups in the US, especially in Washington D.C., have expressed their will to integrate these men into their community.
Uyghurs are an ethnic group from Central Asia
and Xinjiang
province in western China
.
The Washington Post
reported on August 24, 2005 that fifteen Uyghurs had been determined to be "No longer enemy combatants" (NLECs).
The Post reported that detainees who had been classified as NLEC were, not only still being incarcerated, but were still being shackled to the floor. Five of these Uyghurs, who had filed for writs of habeas corpus
, were transported to Albania
on May 5, 2006 just prior to a scheduled judicial review of their petitions. The other seventeen obtained writs of habeas corpus
in 2008.
, including Bahtiyar Mahnut, Yusef Abbas, and Abdul Hehim. They described being trained by East Turkestan Islamic Movement leaders Abdul Haq and Hassan Maksum
. At least one described being trained on a pistol.
on the radio, but none of them knew that the Taliban were accused of involvement. They all acknowledged having fled the camp when it was bombed. They all stated that they were unarmed. One of the Uyghurs said Maksum was killed in the bombing.
described its government as an oppressive occupation. Some of the Uyghurs said that they sought out the training in order to go back to China and defend their fellow Uyghurs against their Chinese occupiers. Some of the other Uyghurs said they sought out the camp of fellow Uyghurs because they were waiting for a visa to Iran, one of the countries they had to pass through on their way to Turkey
. They had heard that Turkey would grant them political asylum.
s. 38 of the detainees were determined to be NLEC. Five Uyghurs were among the 38 detainees determined not to have been enemy combatants, and were transferred from the main detention camp to Camp Iguana
.
This conclusion was remarked on by the first Denbeaux study, that pointed out that many of the detainees who remained incarcerated had faced much less serious allegations than the Uyghurs had faced.
On May 10, 2006 Radio Free Asia
reported that the five Uyghurs transported to Albania were the only Uyghurs who had been moved to Camp Iguana.
Information paper: Uighur Detainee Population at JTF-GTMO
Some of the Uyghurs had lawyers who volunteered to help them pursue a writ of habeas corpus
, which would have been one step in getting them freed from U.S. detention.
In the case of Qassim v. Bush
, those Uyghurs argued for their writ of habeas corpus in United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
was scheduled to hear arguments on Monday May 8, 2006. Five of the Uyghurs were transported to Albania, on Friday May 5, 2006; the United States filed an emergency motion to dismiss later that day. The court dismissed the case as moot.
Barbara Olshansky, one of the Uyghur's lawyers, characterized the sudden transfer as an attempt to: "...avoid having to answer in court for keeping innocent men in jail,"
Some press reports state that the Uyghurs have been granted political asylum in Albania. But the U.S. government press release merely states that they are applying for asylum in Albania.
On May 9, 2006 the Associated Press
reported that the People's Republic of China (PRC) denounced the transfer of custody.
The PRC called the transfer of the Uyghurs to Albania a violation of international law. Albania agreed to examine the evidence against the men.
Radio Free Asia reports that the five were staying at a National Center for Refugees in a Tirana
suburb.
On May 24, 2006 Abu Bakr Qasim told interviewers that he and his compatriots felt isolated in Albania. Qasim described his disappointment with the United States, who the Uyghurs had been hoping would support the Uyghurs quest for Uyghur autonomy. To the BBC
he said that "Guantanamo was a five-year nightmare. We're trying to forget it"."
In an interview with ABC News
Qasim said that members of the American-Uyghur community had come forward and assured the U.S. government that they would help him and his compatriots adapt to life in the United States, if they were given asylum there.
On June 19, 2008 the Associated Press reported that Adel Abdu Al-Hakim had been denied political asylum in Sweden
.
Sten De Geer, his Swedish lawyer, plans to appeal the ruling, because Albania will not allow his wife and children to join him.
On February 9, 2009, Reuters reported that the five Uyghurs in Albania had heard from the seventeen Uyghurs left behind in Guantanamo, and that their conditions had improved.
reported on a legal appeal launched on behalf of seven of the Uyghurs remaining in detention in Guantanamo.
The article reports that the Uyghurs' lawyers argued that the evidence against their clients was essentially identical to that against the five Uyghurs who were released; that the process by which their "enemy combatant" status had been determined, and reviewed, was flawed.
The article went on to quote Washington officials, and former officials, about whether the group that the Uyghurs were accused of belonging to had been added to the State Department's list of Terrorist organizations largely to secure acquiescence from the PRC to the then imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The article quotes the Uyghurs' lawsuit:
The article quotes Susan Baker Manning, one of the Uyghurs' lawyers:
Guantanamo spokesmen, Commander
Jeffrey Gordon
, responded to the appeal with the comment: "There is a significant amount of evidence, both unclassified and classified, which supports detention by U.S. forces,"
According to the Associated Press
Gordon told reporters: "...the seven had 'multiple' reviews and were properly classified as enemy combatants."
An article about the Uyghurs' appeal, in
The Jurist, citing the Fifth Denbeaux Report: The no-hearing hearings, called the Uighur's Combatant Status Review Tribunals "show trials".
An article published on April 18, 2007 discussed the diplomatic problem posed by finding a new home for the Uyghurs in detail.
The article quotes their lawyer, Sabin Willett:
On March 11, 2007 the Boston Globe reported that the 17 remaining Uyghur captives had been transferred to the newly built Camp Six, in Guantanamo.
The Globe reports that the Uyghurs are held for 22 hours a day in cells without natural light.
The Globe points out that prior to their detention in Camp Six, they were able to socialize with one another, but that they couldn't speak to the prisoners in neighboring cells because none of them speak Arabic
or Pashto. The Globe quotes Sabin Willett
, the Uyghur's lawyer, who reports that, consequently, there has been a serious decline in the Uyghur's mental health.
According to the Globe: "The military says the Uighurs were put there either because they attacked guards or trashed their quarters during the riot last May."
The Globe quotes Sabin Willett's explanation for the Uyghur's new harsher detention. Willett: "...links their assignment to Camp Six to a filing he made seeking their release."
submissions known as Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
reached the United States Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled the Executive Branch lacked the Constitutional authority to initiate military commissions
to try Guantanamo captives.
However, it also ruled that the United States Congress
did have the authority to set up military commissions. And, in the fall of 2006 the Congress passed the Military Commissions Act
, setting up military commissions similar to those initially set up by the Executive Branch.
The Act also stripped captives of the right to file habeas corpus submissions in the US Court system. The earlier Detainee Treatment Act
, passed on December 31, 2005, had stripped captives of the right to initiate new habeas corpus submissions, while leaving existing habeas corpus motions in progress.
The Detainee Treatment Act had explicitly authorized an appeal process for Combatant Status Review Tribunals which failed to follow the military's own rules.
And Sabin Willet, the Uyghur's lawyer, has chosen to initiate appeals of the Uyghur's Combatant Status Review Tribunals.
However, Willet argues, the Combatant Status Review Tribunals failed to consider the interrogators conclusions that the Uyghurs were not enemies, had not supported the Taliban, and had not engaged in hostilities.
Assistant Attorney General Peter D. Keisler led the response team. Keisler's team accused Willet of trying to:
They said the argument boiled down to:
The Bush administration conducted bilateral negotiations with a number of other countries, to accept captives who had been cleared for release, with very limited success.
Frustrated British officials who were negotiating for the return of Guantanamo captives who had been granted UK residency permission prior to their capture leaked the conditions Bush administration officials were trying to insist upon. Bush officials were insisting that Britain either indefinitely incarcerate the men, upon their arrival—or they place them under round the clock surveillance.
reported, on November 4, 2004, that there had been internal discussion over how the US could release Uyghurs, without putting their safety at risk.
The Globe reports that Canadian officials held back from offering the Uyghur captives asylum out of fear that the PRC government would retaliate against Huseyin Celil, a Canadian citizen of Uyghur background, who was in Chinese custody.
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
Jason Kenney
.
According to the Globe, Tohti claimed there had been a positive consensus to admit Anvar, and two men whose lawyers haven't authorized their names to be released.
According to the Canwest News Service
, Kenney is considering issuing special ministerial permits for the three Uyghurs.
According to Reuters
, Alyshan Velshi, from Kenney's office, disputed whether Canada was close to accepting any Uyghurs.
The other fourteen Uyghurs hadn't yet satisfied an obligation Canada expects of refugee claimants—that they establish their identity.
The Don Valley Refugee Resettlement Organization is sponsoring Hassan Anvar's refugee claim.
The archdiocese of Montreal is sponsoring the other two men. Their sponsors will support the men with housing and clothing, if they are admitted.
on October 10, 2008, quoted Elshat Hassan and Nury Turkel, two leaders of the Uyghur American Association
, about plans for American-Uyghurs to help the Uyghur captives acclimatize, once they have been admitted to the USA.
Turkel said the Uyghurs are as oppressed as the Tibetans, but they don't receive as much recognition because they lack a high profile leader, like the Dalai Lama
.
reported that the Munich
city council had passed a motion to invite the remaining seventeen Uyghurs to settle in Munich.
The article asserts that Munich is home to the largest community of Uyghurs outside of China.
an President Johnson Toribiong
agreed to "temporarily resettle" up to seventeen of the Uyghur detainees, at the United States' request.
On September 10, 2009 The Times
reported that three of the Uyghurs,
Dawut Abdurehim
and Anwar Assan, and another man whose identity has not been made public, have accepted the invitation to be transferred to asylum in Palau.
On September 19, 2009 Fox News reported that in the week since the first announcement three further Uyghurs agreed to be transferred to Palau.
Fox reported that five of the other Uyghurs had refused to speak with Palau officials.
On October 31, 2009 Ahmad Tourson
, Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman
, Edham Mamet, Anwar Hassan, Dawut Abdurehim
and Adel Noori
were reported to have been transferred to Palau.
, Huzaifa Parhat, Emam Abdulahat
and Jalal Jalaladin arrived in the British overseas territory of Bermuda
.
The cost of the relocation will be borne by the United States, while the government of Bermuda would arrange documentation, residence and housing.
According to their lawyers, the four men will be "guest workers" in Bermuda; according to Premier of Bermuda Ewart Brown
, however, they will instead be given the opportunity to become naturalised "citizens
" — currently impossible under Bermudian law, and a right which many residents, who are locally born and raised, do not have — with the ability to eventually travel freely.
The decision was made without the knowledge of Richard Gozney
, the Governor of Bermuda
, responsible for foreign affairs and security matters, who only found out after their arrival.
Brown's promise of "citizenship" was apparently made without the knowledge of the British government, whose citizenship is being offered. The offer of asylum was strongly criticised both within Bermuda and by the UK. This was not the first time that Bermuda hosted refugees; during the 1970s, five people from Vietnam were allowed into the country; only one remains there, following the emigration of three others and the death of the fifth. The following day, the Opposition
United Bermuda Party
moved for a motion of no confidence
against Brown, while the British government declared its intentions to review its legal relationship with the territory.
On September 29, 2011 the Antigua Observer quoted Henry Bellingham the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories Minister on the UK's expectation that the USA would find a permanent home for the four Uyghurs in another country.
.
Its ruling overturned aspects of the Detainee Treatment Act
and Military Commissions Act
, allowing Guantanamo captives to access the US justice system for habeas petitions.
, on Friday June 20, 2008, that the determination of Hozaifa Parhat
's Combatant Status Review Tribunal was "invalid".
the seventeen Uyghurs.
On August 5, 2008 the United States Department of Justice
opposed Parhat being released in the US, and to having a judgment made on his habeas petition.
The Government's opposition filing was 22 pages long.
declined to rule in favor of transferring six of the Uyghurs from Camp 6 where captives are held in solitary confinement to Camp 4 where they live in communal barracks with fellow captives.
Urbina's nine page memorandum opinion
addressed the needs of Hammad Memet, Khalid Ali, Edham Mamet, Bahtiyar Mahnut
, Arkin Mahmud
, Adel Noori
.
According to The AM Law Daily the Department of Justice was scheduled to appear before Ricardo M Urbina on October 7, 2008, to defend classifying the men as enemy combatants.
Although they were no longer considered "enemy combatants" camp authorities continued to hold six of the men in solitary confinement
.
On Tuesday October 7, 2008, US District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina ruled that the Uyghurs had to be brought to the US to appear in his court in Washington DC on Friday 10 October 2008.
The United States Department of Justice
filed an emergency motion to stay the Uyghurs' admission to the US.
On October 8, 2008, a three judge appeal panel granted the emergency motion to stay the Uyghur's transfer. The judges stay was to enable the appeals court to consider the merits of the parties' arguments. The parties to file briefs by October 16, 2008.
On October 16, 2008, Clint Williamson
, the State Department
official responsible for negotiating a new home for the captives, complained that the Justice Department's description of the Uyghurs had undermined his efforts.
Williamson is the State Department’s ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues.
The New York Times quoted Williamson's comment about cancelling his overseas trips following the Department of Justice claims:
A panel of appeal court judges had over-ruled Leon.
The appeal was filed on behalf of Hazaifa Parhat and seven other of the Uyghur captives. But the court's ruling would apply to all the Uyghurs, and would affect the appeals of other captives whose habeas hearings have overturned their CSR Tribunals.
Radio Free Asia named the five released Uyghurs.
But the report identified the Uyghurs with different transliterations than that used in the U.S. press release:
Ababehir Qasim
, Adil Abdulhakim
, Ayuphaji Mahomet, Ahter and Ahmet
.
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...
in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
since 2002. As of today the five Uyghurs Abdul Razakah, Yusef Abbas
Yusef Abbas
Yusef Abbas is a Chinese citizen currently imprisoned in the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp.Abbas was captured in 2002 by Pakistanis and transferred to Guantanamo Bay, along with nearly two dozen other Uyghurs. Despite the fact that the U.S...
, Hajiakbar Abdulghupur
Hajiakbar Abdulghupur
Hajiakbar Abdulghupur is a citizen of China, currently unlawfully held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.The DoD estimate that Abdulghupur was born in 1973 in Ghulja, Xingiang Province, China....
, Saidullah Khalik and Ahmed Mohamed remain in Guantanamo and have filed cases in US courts to obtain the right to be brought to the United States. Several support groups in the US, especially in Washington D.C., have expressed their will to integrate these men into their community.
Uyghurs are an ethnic group from Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Xinjiang
Xinjiang
Xinjiang is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. It is the largest Chinese administrative division and spans over 1.6 million km2...
province in western China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported on August 24, 2005 that fifteen Uyghurs had been determined to be "No longer enemy combatants" (NLECs).
The Post reported that detainees who had been classified as NLEC were, not only still being incarcerated, but were still being shackled to the floor. Five of these Uyghurs, who had filed for writs of 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...
, were transported to Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
on May 5, 2006 just prior to a scheduled judicial review of their petitions. The other seventeen obtained writs of 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...
in 2008.
Common elements in the allegations
- Most of the Uyghurs were alleged to be members or supporters of the East Turkistan Islamic Movement.
- Most of the Uyghurs were alleged to have completed military training.
- Some of the allegations stated that a supposed military training camp was in the Tora BoraTora BoraTora Bora , known locally as Spīn Ghar , is a cave complex situated in the White Mountains of eastern Afghanistan, in the Pachir Wa Agam District of Nangarhar province, approximately west of the Khyber Pass and north of the border of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in Pakistan...
mountains. - Most of the Uyghurs were alleged to have accepted training that was sponsored by the Taliban, or Al Qaeda.
- Eighteen of the Uyghurs were alleged to have fled when their camp was bombed as part of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
air bombing campaign of Afghanistan in 2001.
AK-47 training
Several of the detainees admitted receiving training on the AK-47AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, including Bahtiyar Mahnut, Yusef Abbas, and Abdul Hehim. They described being trained by East Turkestan Islamic Movement leaders Abdul Haq and Hassan Maksum
Hassan Maksum
Several of the Uyghur captives in Guantanamo acknowledged having met or having seen, and individual named Hassan Maksum at a camp in eastern Afghanistan in mid to late 2001....
. At least one described being trained on a pistol.
Fleeing the camp after it was bombed
The Uyghurs who were present at the alleged camp reported that they did not expect their camp to be bombed. Some of them acknowledged that they had heard of the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
on the radio, but none of them knew that the Taliban were accused of involvement. They all acknowledged having fled the camp when it was bombed. They all stated that they were unarmed. One of the Uyghurs said Maksum was killed in the bombing.
Motives
None of the Uyghurs described seeing the United States as an enemy. All of the Uyghurs who mentioned the People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
described its government as an oppressive occupation. Some of the Uyghurs said that they sought out the training in order to go back to China and defend their fellow Uyghurs against their Chinese occupiers. Some of the other Uyghurs said they sought out the camp of fellow Uyghurs because they were waiting for a visa to Iran, one of the countries they had to pass through on their way to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. They had heard that Turkey would grant them political asylum.
Combatant Status Review Tribunal results
From July 2004 through March 2005 all 568 of the detainees held at Guantanamo had their detention reviewed by Combatant Status Review TribunalCombatant 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. 38 of the detainees were determined to be NLEC. Five Uyghurs were among the 38 detainees determined not to have been enemy combatants, and were transferred from the main detention camp to Camp Iguana
Camp Iguana
Camp Iguana is a small compound in the detainment camp complex on the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Camp Iguana originally held three child detainees who camp spokesmen then claimed were the only detainees under age 16. It was closed in the winter of 2004 when the three were sent home...
.
This conclusion was remarked on by the first Denbeaux study, that pointed out that many of the detainees who remained incarcerated had faced much less serious allegations than the Uyghurs had faced.
On May 10, 2006 Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation that operates a radio station and Internet news service. RFA was founded by an act of the US Congress and is operated by the Broadcasting Board of Governors . The RFA is supported in part by grants from the federal government of the United States...
reported that the five Uyghurs transported to Albania were the only Uyghurs who had been moved to Camp Iguana.
Documents published in response to captives' habeas petitions
In September 2007 the Department of Defense published dossiers prepared from the unclassified documents arising from the captives' Combatant Status Review Tribunals.Information paper: Uighur Detainee Population at JTF-GTMO
Asylum in Albania
None of the Uyghurs wanted to be returned to China. The United States declined to grant the Uyghurs political asylum, or to allow them parole, or even freedom on the Naval Base.Some of the Uyghurs had lawyers who volunteered to help them pursue a writ of 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...
, which would have been one step in getting them freed from U.S. detention.
In the case of Qassim v. Bush
Qassim v. Bush
Abu Bakker Qassim, et al. v. George W. Bush, et al. , is a case in which two Muslim Uyghurs challenged their detention at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.-Facts:...
, those Uyghurs argued for their writ of habeas corpus in United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit known informally as the D.C. Circuit, is the federal appellate court for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Appeals from the D.C. Circuit, as with all the U.S. Courts of Appeals, are heard on a...
was scheduled to hear arguments on Monday May 8, 2006. Five of the Uyghurs were transported to Albania, on Friday May 5, 2006; the United States filed an emergency motion to dismiss later that day. The court dismissed the case as moot.
Barbara Olshansky, one of the Uyghur's lawyers, characterized the sudden transfer as an attempt to: "...avoid having to answer in court for keeping innocent men in jail,"
Some press reports state that the Uyghurs have been granted political asylum in Albania. But the U.S. government press release merely states that they are applying for asylum in Albania.
On May 9, 2006 the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
reported that the People's Republic of China (PRC) denounced the transfer of custody.
The PRC called the transfer of the Uyghurs to Albania a violation of international law. Albania agreed to examine the evidence against the men.
Radio Free Asia reports that the five were staying at a National Center for Refugees in a Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
suburb.
On May 24, 2006 Abu Bakr Qasim told interviewers that he and his compatriots felt isolated in Albania. Qasim described his disappointment with the United States, who the Uyghurs had been hoping would support the Uyghurs quest for Uyghur autonomy. To 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...
he said that "Guantanamo was a five-year nightmare. We're trying to forget it"."
In an interview with ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
Qasim said that members of the American-Uyghur community had come forward and assured the U.S. government that they would help him and his compatriots adapt to life in the United States, if they were given asylum there.
On June 19, 2008 the Associated Press reported that Adel Abdu Al-Hakim had been denied political asylum in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Sten De Geer, his Swedish lawyer, plans to appeal the ruling, because Albania will not allow his wife and children to join him.
On February 9, 2009, Reuters reported that the five Uyghurs in Albania had heard from the seventeen Uyghurs left behind in Guantanamo, and that their conditions had improved.
Deal between the US and the PRC to persecute them?
An article in the December 5, 2006 edition of The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
reported on a legal appeal launched on behalf of seven of the Uyghurs remaining in detention in Guantanamo.
The article reports that the Uyghurs' lawyers argued that the evidence against their clients was essentially identical to that against the five Uyghurs who were released; that the process by which their "enemy combatant" status had been determined, and reviewed, was flawed.
The article went on to quote Washington officials, and former officials, about whether the group that the Uyghurs were accused of belonging to had been added to the State Department's list of Terrorist organizations largely to secure acquiescence from the PRC to the then imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq.
The article quotes the Uyghurs' lawsuit:
- "In the crisis atmosphere of the time, the interests of a few dozen refugees paled beside the urgency of the Administration's war plans,"
The article quotes Susan Baker Manning, one of the Uyghurs' lawyers:
- "It is amazing to me that the US has agreed to in effect hold political prisoners for China in exchange for anything. That goes against everything that we, I thought, stood for in this country."
Guantanamo spokesmen, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Jeffrey Gordon
Jeffrey D. Gordon
Jeffrey D. Gordon is a communications consultant to several conservative Washington, DC-based think tanks. Gordon is also a contributing columnist to Fox News, AOL News, the Washington Times and other media outlets. Previously, he was a Commander in the United States Navy.-Naval career:He was...
, responded to the appeal with the comment: "There is a significant amount of evidence, both unclassified and classified, which supports detention by U.S. forces,"
According to the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Gordon told reporters: "...the seven had 'multiple' reviews and were properly classified as enemy combatants."
An article about the Uyghurs' appeal, in
The Jurist, citing the Fifth Denbeaux Report: The no-hearing hearings, called the Uighur's Combatant Status Review Tribunals "show trials".
An article published on April 18, 2007 discussed the diplomatic problem posed by finding a new home for the Uyghurs in detail.
The article quotes their lawyer, Sabin Willett:
Held in isolation, in Camp Six
The Globe reports that the Uyghurs are held for 22 hours a day in cells without natural light.
The Globe points out that prior to their detention in Camp Six, they were able to socialize with one another, but that they couldn't speak to the prisoners in neighboring cells because none of them speak Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
or Pashto. The Globe quotes Sabin Willett
Sabin Willett
Peter Sabin Willett, known as Sabin Willett, is an American lawyer and novelist, a partner with the Boston law firm Bingham McCutchen, previously called Bingham Dana. He lives near Boston, Massachusetts...
, the Uyghur's lawyer, who reports that, consequently, there has been a serious decline in the Uyghur's mental health.
According to the Globe: "The military says the Uighurs were put there either because they attacked guards or trashed their quarters during the riot last May."
The Globe quotes Sabin Willett's explanation for the Uyghur's new harsher detention. Willett: "...links their assignment to Camp Six to a filing he made seeking their release."
The passage of the Military Commissions Act and the Detainee Treatment Act
In the Summer of 2006, the habeas corpusHabeas 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...
submissions known as Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, 548 U.S. 557 , is a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States held that military commissions set up by the Bush administration to try detainees at Guantanamo Bay lack "the power to proceed because its structures and procedures violate both the Uniform Code of Military...
reached the United States Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court ruled the Executive Branch lacked the Constitutional authority to initiate military commissions
Guantanamo military commission
The Guantanamo military commissions are military tribunals created by the Military Commissions Act of 2006 for prosecuting detainees held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps.- History :...
to try Guantanamo captives.
However, it also ruled that the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
did have the authority to set up military commissions. And, in the fall of 2006 the Congress passed the Military Commissions Act
Military Commissions Act of 2006
The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, also known as HR-6166, was an Act of Congress signed by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. Drafted in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on Hamdan v...
, setting up military commissions similar to those initially set up by the Executive Branch.
The Act also stripped captives of the right to file habeas corpus submissions in the US Court system. The earlier Detainee Treatment Act
Detainee Treatment Act
The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 is an Act of the United States Congress that prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay; requires military interrogations to be performed according to the U.S...
, passed on December 31, 2005, had stripped captives of the right to initiate new habeas corpus submissions, while leaving existing habeas corpus motions in progress.
The Detainee Treatment Act had explicitly authorized an appeal process for Combatant Status Review Tribunals which failed to follow the military's own rules.
And Sabin Willet, the Uyghur's lawyer, has chosen to initiate appeals of the Uyghur's Combatant Status Review Tribunals.
However, Willet argues, the Combatant Status Review Tribunals failed to consider the interrogators conclusions that the Uyghurs were not enemies, had not supported the Taliban, and had not engaged in hostilities.
Assistant Attorney General Peter D. Keisler led the response team. Keisler's team accused Willet of trying to:
They said the argument boiled down to:
Asylum negotiations
The Uyghurs can not be repatriated to China because domestic U.S. law proscribes deporting individuals to countries where they are likely to be abused.The Bush administration conducted bilateral negotiations with a number of other countries, to accept captives who had been cleared for release, with very limited success.
Frustrated British officials who were negotiating for the return of Guantanamo captives who had been granted UK residency permission prior to their capture leaked the conditions Bush administration officials were trying to insist upon. Bush officials were insisting that Britain either indefinitely incarcerate the men, upon their arrival—or they place them under round the clock surveillance.
Early release discussions
The Asia TimesAsia Times
Asia Times was a newspaper launched in Thailand by Thai tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul in 1995. The newspaper hired talent from around the world to produce a regional English-language newspaper....
reported, on November 4, 2004, that there had been internal discussion over how the US could release Uyghurs, without putting their safety at risk.
Asylum in Canada
On June 2, 2008 the Globe and Mail reported that recently released documents suggested that the Government of Canada had come close to offering asylum to the Uyghurs.The Globe reports that Canadian officials held back from offering the Uyghur captives asylum out of fear that the PRC government would retaliate against Huseyin Celil, a Canadian citizen of Uyghur background, who was in Chinese custody.
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 haven't authorized their names to be released.
According to the Canwest News Service
Canwest News Service
Postmedia News is a national news agency with correspondents in Canada, Europe, and the United States and is part of the Canadian newspaper chain owned by Postmedia Network Inc.-History:...
, Kenney is considering issuing special ministerial permits for the three Uyghurs.
According to Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
, Alyshan Velshi, from Kenney's office, disputed whether Canada was close to accepting any Uyghurs.
The other fourteen Uyghurs hadn't yet satisfied an obligation Canada expects of refugee claimants—that they establish their identity.
The Don Valley Refugee Resettlement Organization is sponsoring Hassan Anvar's refugee claim.
The archdiocese of Montreal is sponsoring the other two men. Their sponsors will support the men with housing and clothing, if they are admitted.
Role of American Uyghurs
An article published by the Associated PressAssociated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
on October 10, 2008, quoted Elshat Hassan and Nury Turkel, two leaders of the Uyghur American Association
Uyghur American Association
The Uyghur American Association is a Washington-based advocacy organization. It was established in 1998 by a group of Uyghur scholars to raise the public awareness of the Uyghur people in East Turkistan and the other parts of the world....
, about plans for American-Uyghurs to help the Uyghur captives acclimatize, once they have been admitted to the USA.
Turkel said the Uyghurs are as oppressed as the Tibetans, but they don't receive as much recognition because they lack a high profile leader, like the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
.
Asylum in Munich
On February 7, 2009, the Hindustan TimesHindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
reported that the Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
city council had passed a motion to invite the remaining seventeen Uyghurs to settle in Munich.
The article asserts that Munich is home to the largest community of Uyghurs outside of China.
Temporary asylum in Palau
In June 2009, 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...
an President Johnson Toribiong
Johnson Toribiong
Johnson Toribiong is a Palauan attorney and politician who is the current President of Palau, following his victory in the November 2008 election.-Background and earlier career:...
agreed to "temporarily resettle" up to seventeen of the Uyghur detainees, at the United States' request.
On September 10, 2009 The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported that three of the Uyghurs,
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 Anwar Assan, and another man whose identity has not been made public, have accepted the invitation to be transferred to asylum in Palau.
On September 19, 2009 Fox News reported that in the week since the first announcement three further Uyghurs agreed to be transferred to Palau.
Fox reported that five of the other Uyghurs had refused to speak with Palau officials.
On October 31, 2009 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, Anwar Hassan, 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 reported to have been transferred to Palau.
Bermuda
On June 11, 2009, Abdul Helil MamutAbdul Helil Mamut
Khalil Mamut is an Uyghur refugee, imprisoned for seven years at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.The US Department of Defense estimated that Mamut was born in Kashgar, China, in 1977 and assigned him the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 278.Mamut is one of the 22...
, Huzaifa Parhat, Emam Abdulahat
Emam Abdulahat
Salahidin Abdulahat is an Uyghur refugee, imprisoned for seven years in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 295....
and Jalal Jalaladin arrived in the British overseas territory of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
.
The cost of the relocation will be borne by the United States, while the government of Bermuda would arrange documentation, residence and housing.
According to their lawyers, the four men will be "guest workers" in Bermuda; according to Premier of Bermuda Ewart Brown
Ewart Brown
Ewart Frederick Brown, Jr. was Premier of Bermuda and leader of the Progressive Labour Party from 2006 and 2010. He served as Member of Parliament for the constituency of Warwick South Central for 17 years until his retirement from politics in October 2010.Brown was elected leader of the ruling...
, however, they will instead be given the opportunity to become naturalised "citizens
Belonger status
Belonger status is a legal classification normally associated with British overseas territories. It refers to people who have close ties to a specific territory, normally by birth and/or ancestry...
" — currently impossible under Bermudian law, and a right which many residents, who are locally born and raised, do not have — with the ability to eventually travel freely.
The decision was made without the knowledge of Richard Gozney
Richard Gozney
Sir Richard Hugh Turton Gozney KCMG CVO KStJ is a British career diplomat. He has been Governor and Commander in Chief of Bermuda since 12 December 2007.-Background and education:...
, the Governor of Bermuda
Governor of Bermuda
The Governor of Bermuda is the representative of the British monarch in the British overseas territory of Bermuda. The Governor is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British government...
, responsible for foreign affairs and security matters, who only found out after their arrival.
Brown's promise of "citizenship" was apparently made without the knowledge of the British government, whose citizenship is being offered. The offer of asylum was strongly criticised both within Bermuda and by the UK. This was not the first time that Bermuda hosted refugees; during the 1970s, five people from Vietnam were allowed into the country; only one remains there, following the emigration of three others and the death of the fifth. The following day, the Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
United Bermuda Party
United Bermuda Party
The United Bermuda Party was a political party in Bermuda. It represented itself as centrist party in favor of a moderate social and fiscal agenda...
moved for a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
against Brown, while the British government declared its intentions to review its legal relationship with the territory.
On September 29, 2011 the Antigua Observer quoted Henry Bellingham the United Kingdom's Overseas Territories Minister on the UK's expectation that the USA would find a permanent home for the four Uyghurs in another country.
“This is something that we weren’t consulted on by the last (Brown) administration. We have spoken to the United States about it — it’s our understanding that the arrangement was not to be permanent and we’re looking to the US State Department to find a permanent solution. We’re working with them to try and achieve that.”
Supreme Court's ruling in Boumediene v. Bush
On June 12, 2008 the United States Supreme Court ruled on 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...
.
Its ruling overturned aspects of the Detainee Treatment Act
Detainee Treatment Act
The Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 is an Act of the United States Congress that prohibits inhumane treatment of prisoners, including prisoners at Guantanamo Bay; requires military interrogations to be performed according to the U.S...
and Military Commissions Act
Military Commissions Act of 2006
The United States Military Commissions Act of 2006, also known as HR-6166, was an Act of Congress signed by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006. Drafted in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision on Hamdan v...
, allowing Guantanamo captives to access the US justice system for habeas petitions.
Parhat v. Gates
On Monday June 23, 2008 it was announced that a three judge Federal court of appeal had ruled, in Parhat v. GatesParhat v. Gates
Parhat v. Gates No. 06-1397 is a petition for review under the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 filed on behalf of Hozaifa Parhat, and six other Uyghur detainees held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.Susan Baker Manning, one of Parhat's...
, on Friday June 20, 2008, that the determination of Hozaifa Parhat
Hozaifa Parhat
-Transcript:Parhat chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Judge Jed Rakoff, the Department of Defense published a ten page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal....
's Combatant Status Review Tribunal was "invalid".
Motions following Boumediene v. Bush
On July 7, 2008 a petition was filed on behalf ofthe seventeen Uyghurs.
On August 5, 2008 the 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...
opposed Parhat being released in the US, and to having a judgment made on his habeas petition.
The Government's opposition filing was 22 pages long.
Petition to be moved from solitary confinement
In early August 2008 US District Court Judge Ricardo M. UrbinaRicardo M. Urbina
Ricardo M. Urbina is a United States District Court judge in Washington, DC. He has taken senior status.Urbina earned a B.A. from Georgetown University in 1967. He received his law degree from the Law Center at Georgetown University in 1970. He began his legal career as a public defender. He...
declined to rule in favor of transferring six of the Uyghurs from Camp 6 where captives are held in solitary confinement to Camp 4 where they live in communal barracks with fellow captives.
Urbina's nine page memorandum opinion
Memorandum opinion
A memorandum opinion or memorandum decision is a judicial opinion that does not create precedent, persuasive or mandatory in some jurisdictions. A memorandum is often brief and written only to announce judgment in a particular case...
addressed the needs of Hammad Memet, Khalid Ali, Edham Mamet, Bahtiyar Mahnut
Bahtiyar Mahnut
-Transcript:Mahnut participated in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.His Tribunal convened on 23 October 2004 and 27 October 2004.On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published an eighteen page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status...
, Arkin Mahmud
Arkin Mahmud
Arkin Mahmud is an Uyghur refugee best known for the seven and a half years he spent in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.Joint Task Force Guantanamo counter-terrorism analysts reports Mahmud was born on July 1, 1964, in Ghulja, China....
, 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....
.
|
No longer classed as "enemy combatants"
On September 30, 2008, Gregory Katsas, Assistant Attorney General filed a "notice of status" for the remaining Uyghur captives—stating that they would no longer be classed as "enemy combatants".According to The AM Law Daily the Department of Justice was scheduled to appear before Ricardo M Urbina on October 7, 2008, to defend classifying the men as enemy combatants.
Although they were no longer considered "enemy combatants" camp authorities continued to hold six of the men 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...
.
On Tuesday October 7, 2008, US District Court Judge Ricardo Urbina ruled that the Uyghurs had to be brought to the US to appear in his court in Washington DC on Friday 10 October 2008.
The 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...
filed an emergency motion to stay the Uyghurs' admission to the US.
On October 8, 2008, a three judge appeal panel granted the emergency motion to stay the Uyghur's transfer. The judges stay was to enable the appeals court to consider the merits of the parties' arguments. The parties to file briefs by October 16, 2008.
On October 16, 2008, Clint Williamson
Clint Williamson
Clint Williamson is an American lawyer and diplomat .In 2006 he was appointed Ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues....
, the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
official responsible for negotiating a new home for the captives, complained that the Justice Department's description of the Uyghurs had undermined his efforts.
Williamson is the State Department’s ambassador-at-large for war crimes issues.
The New York Times quoted Williamson's comment about cancelling his overseas trips following the Department of Justice claims:
|
Supreme Court to rule on whether the judiciary can force captives to be released in the United States
On October 20, 2009 the United States Supreme Court announced it would hear an appeal filed on behalf of the Uyghurs, as to whether Justice Leon had the authority to order the Uyghurs to be released in the United States.A panel of appeal court judges had over-ruled Leon.
The appeal was filed on behalf of Hazaifa Parhat and seven other of the Uyghur captives. But the court's ruling would apply to all the Uyghurs, and would affect the appeals of other captives whose habeas hearings have overturned their CSR Tribunals.
The Uyghur detainees
| name | status | notes |
|---|---|---|
| Edham Mamet | Released |
|
| Arkin Mahmud Arkin Mahmud Arkin Mahmud is an Uyghur refugee best known for the seven and a half years he spent in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.Joint Task Force Guantanamo counter-terrorism analysts reports Mahmud was born on July 1, 1964, in Ghulja, China.... |
Released |
|
| 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.... |
Released |
|
| Abdul Razakah |
Held |
|
| Hassan Anvar Hassan Anvar 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.-Combatant Status Review... |
Released |
|
| Ahmed Adil Ahmed Adil On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published a six page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.- Letter to the Secretary of State :... |
Released |
|
| Yusef Abbas Yusef Abbas Yusef Abbas is a Chinese citizen currently imprisoned in the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp.Abbas was captured in 2002 by Pakistanis and transferred to Guantanamo Bay, along with nearly two dozen other Uyghurs. Despite the fact that the U.S... |
Held |
|
| Akhdar Qasem Basit Akhdar Qasem Basit Akhdar Qasem Basit is a Uyghur citizen of China who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.... |
Released |
|
| Bahtiyar Mahnut Bahtiyar Mahnut -Transcript:Mahnut participated in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.His Tribunal convened on 23 October 2004 and 27 October 2004.On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published an eighteen page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status... |
Released |
|
| Abdul Helil Mamut Abdul Helil Mamut Khalil Mamut is an Uyghur refugee, imprisoned for seven years at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.The US Department of Defense estimated that Mamut was born in Kashgar, China, in 1977 and assigned him the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 278.Mamut is one of the 22... |
Released |
|
| Haji Mohammed Ayub |
Transferred |
|
| Saidullah Khalik |
Held |
|
| 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.... |
Released |
|
| Hajiakbar Abdulghupur Hajiakbar Abdulghupur Hajiakbar Abdulghupur is a citizen of China, currently unlawfully held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.The DoD estimate that Abdulghupur was born in 1973 in Ghulja, Xingiang Province, China.... |
Held |
|
| Abu Bakr Qasim |
Released |
|
| Abdullah Abdulqadirakhun |
Released |
|
| 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... |
Released |
|
| Adel Abdulhehim Adel Abdulhehim Adel Abdulhehim or Adel Abdul Hakim is a citizen of the People's Republic of China from the Uighur ethnic group who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States-controlled Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.... |
Released |
|
| Emam Abdulahat Emam Abdulahat Salahidin Abdulahat is an Uyghur refugee, imprisoned for seven years in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 295.... |
Released |
|
| Hozaifa Parhat Hozaifa Parhat -Transcript:Parhat chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Judge Jed Rakoff, the Department of Defense published a ten page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.... |
Released |
|
| Ahmad Muhamman Yaqub |
Held |
|
| 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.... |
Released |
|
Radio Free Asia named the five released Uyghurs.
But the report identified the Uyghurs with different transliterations than that used in the U.S. press release:
Ababehir Qasim
Abu Bakker Qassim
-Transcript:Qassim chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published a ten page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal....
, Adil Abdulhakim
Adel Abdulhehim
Adel Abdulhehim or Adel Abdul Hakim is a citizen of the People's Republic of China from the Uighur ethnic group who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States-controlled Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba....
, Ayuphaji Mahomet, Ahter and Ahmet
Ahmed Adil
On March 3, 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published a six page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.- Letter to the Secretary of State :...
.
External links
- Arkley denies Uighurs here permanently June 13, 2011
- Palau urges Australia to allow permanent resettlement for six Uighurs Radio AustraliaRadio AustraliaRadio Australia is the international broadcasting and online service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation , Australia's public broadcaster.- History :...
June 3, 2010 - Uighurs demand release on US soil Bangkok PostBangkok PostThe Bangkok Post is a broadsheet, English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. The first issue was sold on August 1, 1946. It had four pages and cost 1 baht, a considerable amount at the time....
April 7, 2010 - Guantanamo Uighurs start new life in Palau BBCBBCThe 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...
NewsnightNewsnightNewsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
14 January 2010 - Australia urged to accept Uighurs The NationalThe National (Abu Dhabi)The National is a government-owned English-language daily newspaper published in Abu Dhabi. The editor-in-chief since June 8, 2009 has been Hassan Fattah. Prior to this, and from the launch of the newspaper Martin Newland was editor-in-chief. Mubadala Development Company, an investment company...
January 5, 2010 - Life after Guantanamo - Video
- Uighur inmate in Guantanamo plea, 20 March 2008, BBCBBCThe 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...
mirror - Uighurs: U.S. Let Chinese Abuse Us At Gitmo by Ryan GrimRyan GrimRyan Grim is an author and senior congressional correspondent for The Huffington Post. His writings have appeared in several publications, including Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Politico, and C-SPAN Booktv. He is the author of "This Is Your Country on Drugs".-Professional overview:He has...
, The Huffington Post, June 16, 2009 - Human Rights First; Habeas Works: Federal Courts’ Proven Capacity to Handle Guantánamo Cases (2010)