Abdul Qudus

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Abdul Qudus is a citizen of Afghanistan, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba.^[1] His detainee ID number is 929.

American intelligence officials estimate that he was born in 1988, in Nadali, Afghanistan.^[1]

Main article: minors detained in the global war on terror

1 Combatant Status Review Tribunal
- 1.1 allegations
- 1.2 testimony
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.

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

[edit] allegations

The detainee attempted to engage in hostilities against the United States.
The detainee asked Afghan soldiers for weapons to fight Americans.
The detainee is associated with individuals willing to participate in attacks against Americans.
The detainee was captured in January 2003, by Afghan military forces in Gershk, Afghanistan after attempting to obtain weapons to kill Americans.

[edit] testimony

The caption to this poster, distributed by the CIA in Afghanistan, reads: “You can receive millions of dollars for helping the Anti-Taliban Force catch Al-Qaida and Taliban murderers. This enough money to take care of your family, your village, your tribe for the rest of your life. Pay for livestock and doctors and school books and housing for all your people."

Qudus said he was an orphan, who was traveling from a stay at the home of one uncle to go stay at the home of another uncle. He described seeking out a campfire, during his travel, when he was cold and hungry. The campfire belonged to men he told the tribunal were soldiers. When asked how he knew they were soldiers, he said because they were all carrying guns. But, when asked if they were wearing uniforms he said they were wearing civilian clothes.

He said that while they sat around the campfire the men told him they wanted him to take a weapon, so he could fight against the Americans, but he refused. He said they told him again he should join them in fighting the Americans, and he declined again. Then, when he woke the next day, and was going to say farewell, the men told him he was not free to leave. They "wrote a paper", and took him to "another place", where he met another prisoner, who said his name was Abujahn. Both he and Abujahn were then handed over to the Americans.

He acknowledged that he was handed over to the Americans in Ghereshk.

Qudus's Personal Representative asked him one final question -- did he know anyone named Agga Khan. Qudus answered "no".