Abdul Aziz Saad Al Khaldi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Abdul Aziz Saad Al Khaldi is a citizen of Saudi Arabia, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba.^[1] Al Khaldi's Guantanamo detainee ID number is 112. The Department of Defense reports that Al Khaldi was born on September 1, 1979, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

1 Combatant Status Review Tribunal
2 References

[edit] Combatant Status Review Tribunal

Combatant Status Review Tribunals were held in a small trailer, the same width, but shorter, than a mobile home. The Tribunal's President sat in the big chair. The detainee sat with their hands and feet shackled to a bolt in the floor in the white, plastic garden chair. A one way mirror behind the Tribunal President allowed observers to observe clandestinely. In theory the open sessions of the Tribunals were open to the press. Three chairs were reserved for them. In practice the Tribunal only intermittently told the press that Tribunals were being held. And when they did they kept the detainee's identities secret. In practice almost all Tribunals went unobserved.

Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct a competent tribunals to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war status.

Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were lawful combatants -- rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush administration's definition of an enemy combatant.

Al Khaldi chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.^[2]

[edit] Opening statement

Al Khaldi informed his Tribunal he felt he had been forced to utter falsehoods, in order to avoid torture.

Al Khaldi asserted that during his interrogation his interrogators were confusing him with someone else. He was shown an ID card that bore a different picture and a different name than his own and his interrogators insisted it was his ID.

Al Khaldi informed his Tribunal that his brother was in Guantanamo as well, but the camp authorities wouldn't let themsee one another.

Al Khaldi told his Tribunal that his letters from home were being withheld, and he found this psychological damaging.

Al Khaldi told his Tribunal that he hoped his testimony wouldn't lead to more torture.

[edit] Allegations

Most detainees transcripts contain the allegations against the detainee, as they were read aloud to the Tribunal. The recorder for Al Khaldi's Tribunal didn't record the allegations.

[edit] Testimony in response to the allegations

He denied any association with al Qaeda.

When addressing the first specific allegation that he was associated with al Qaeda Al Khaldi acknowledged that he left Saudi Arabia after September 11, 2001 to travel to Afghanistan. But the reason he did so was to meet his brother, and try to convince his brother to return to Saudi Arabia. He would have left earlier, but his last final exam was on September 23, 2001.

When addressing the second allegation that he was associated with Al Qaeda Al Khaldi claimed he had never heard of the guesthouse he stayed in. He chose it to stay at simply because it had vacancies. He didn't receive any training at the house, and he paid for all his expenses.

In response to the general allegation that he participated in hostile acts Al Khaldi asserted that he was a civilian and denied participating in any hostilities.

In response to the first, second, third and fourth specific allegations that he participated in specific hostile acts

Al Khaldi denied ever carrying a weapon in his life.
Al Khaldi denied going anywhere near any battlefields.
Al Khaldi acknowledged meeting his brother in Khawajah Ghar, but denied it could be considered a battlefield.
Al Khaldi denied being captured. He voluntarily surrendered himself to the authorities, around the 25-28th November, hoping that they could help him safely exit Afghanistan.
Al Khaldi said that when he went to the Northern Alliance they tied him up.

[edit] Further testimony on his behalf

Al Khaldi repeated that the sole reason he traveled to Afghanistan was to try to talk his brother into returning to Saudi Arabia. No one arranged his travel for him. No one paid his travel expenses for him.

Al Khaldi stated he had never said anything against the United States or its coalition partners. And, after examining the definition of "enemy combatant" he couldn't see how it applied to him.

Al Khaldi repeated the hope that his testimony at his Tribunal wouldn't bring more torture down on him.

[edit] Testimony in response to questions from the Tribunal's officers

In response to questions from the Tribunal's officers:

Al Khaldi acknowledged traveling to Afghanistan from Saudi Arabia with a school chum, named Ulsur Yumani.
Al Khaldi explained that he paid for his travels from his monthly University stipend and for odd jobs he did at the University. After three years of imprisonment he couldn't recall exactly how much he had taken -- but it was enough for him to get there, and pay for both his return, and his brother's return.
Al Khaldi answered that the University he attended was Al-Imam Mohamed ibn Saud Islamic University.
Al Khaldi said the unclassified summary was missing one of his family names -- that his name was really Abdul Aziz Sa'ad Alfalfi [sic], and that this was the name on his passport, which he had with him.
Al Khaldi confirmed he had never met anyone from al Qaeda before he was captured.
Al Khaldi confirmed he saw other patrons at the Guest house carrying weapons. He said everywhere one went one saw men carrying weapons. That they were carrying weapons did not mean they were soldiers.
Al Khaldi confirmed that he had been tortured after he arrived in Cuba, as well as before he left Afghanistan. The first people who tortured him were the Afghan authorities, who tortured him every time he denied being a member of the Taliban or al Qaeda. Then, in Kandahar, an English speaking interrogator tortured him. One of his teeth was broken during these brutal interrogations.