Airat Vakhitov

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Airat Vakhitov, also spelled Ayrat Wakhitov or Vahidov (Tatar Cyrillic: Айрат Вахитов, Latin: Ayrat Waxitov) is an ethnic Tatar citizen of Russia who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba.^[1] He was repatriated with six other Russians in February 2004. Fluent in Arabic, Pashto, Farsi, Urdu and Russian, he also spoke basic English.^[2]

On May 15, 2006 the Department of Defense released its first full official list of all the Guantanamo detainees who were held in military custody.^[3] Airat Vakhitov's name is not on that list. The list includes an individual named Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov.who was born on March 27, 1977, on Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia.

Russian authorities releaased the detainees after investigations into whether they had broken any Russian laws.

Vakhitov spoke publicly on June 28, 2005 about torture in Guantanamo when he announced he was planning to sue the United States for his mistreatment.^[4] He was invited, by Amnesty International, to speak about Guantanamo torture, in London, on November 2, 2002.

Geidar Dzhemal, chairman of the Islamic Committee of Russia, reported that he was hosting Vakhitov, and another former Guantanamo detainee, Rustam Akhmyarov, following threats by security officials.^[5] According to Dzhemal the security officials had visited Vakhitov, and warned him that he should only talk about torture in Guantanamo Bay, not Russian torture. Dzhemal reported that security officials subsequently seized Vakhitov and Akhmyarov from his apartment on August 29, 2005. He called their seizure a kidnapping because they refused to show their identification. He predicted that the pair would be arrested on trumped up charges, to curtail their human rights activities.

The pair were released from detention on September 2, 2005.^[6]

[edit] Airat Vakhitov and other former Taliban prisoners

Further information: Kandahar Five

Further information: American prisoners who were also Taliban prisoners

Airat Vakhitov was one of nine former Taliban prisoners the Associated Press pointed out had gone from Taliban custody to American custody.^[7] The Taliban had accused Vakhitov of spying for Russia, and imprisoned him for nearly three years. In Kandahar Airfield, he complained to Cpt. Danner that he had been housed in a more humane prison by the Taliban, where he had been given a radio, fresh fruit and proper toilet facilities.^[2]

[edit] References

1. ^ Former Gitmo prisoners arrested in Russia, rights group says, The Jurist, August 31, 2005
2. ^ ^{a b} Begg, Moazzam. "Enemy Combatant", 2006. pp. 120
3. ^ list of prisoners (.pdf), US Department of Defense, May 15, 2006
4. ^ Russian who was kept at Guantanamo sues U.S. government, Rian.ru, June 28, 2005
5. ^ Russian Talibs Found Through London, Kommersnt, August 29, 2005
6. ^ Former Guantanamo Prisoners Freed From Russian Jail. Mosnews, September 2, 2005
7. ^ Paul Haven. "From Taliban jail to Gitmo – hard-luck prisoners tell of unending ordeal", San Diego Union Tribune, June 30, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-07-01.