Faizal Saha Al Nasir

Faizal Saha Al Nasir (born 1980) is a citizen of Saudi Arabia who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.[1] Al Nasir's Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 437. American intelligence analysts estimate Al Nasir was born in 1980 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Contents

Identity

The official documents from the US Department of Defense, and from the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington DC transliterate Al Nasir's name differently:

Combatant Status Review

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The Bush administration asserted that:

the protections of the Geneva Conventions did not extend to captured prisoners who are not members of the regular Afghan armed force nor meet the criteria for prisoner of war for voluntary forces.[4]

Critics argued the Conventions obliged the U.S. to conduct competent tribunals to determine the status of prisoners. Subsequently, the U.S. Department of Defense instituted Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs), to determine whether detainees met the new definition of an "enemy combatant".

"Enemy combatant" was defined by the U.S. Department of Defense as:

an individual who was part of, or supporting, the Taliban, or al-Qaeda forces, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners. This includes any person who commits a belligerent act or has directly supported hostilities in aid of enemy armed forces.[5]

The CSRTs are not bound by the rules of evidence that would normally apply in civilian court, and the government’s evidence is presumed to be “genuine and accurate.”[6] From July 2004 through March 2005, CSRTs were convened to determine whether each prisoner had been correctly classified as an "enemy combatant".

Faizal Saha Al Nasir was among the 60% of prisoners who chose to participate in tribunal hearings.[7] A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for the tribunal of each detainee, listing the allegations that supported their detention as an "enemy combatant".

Faizal Saha Al Nasir's memo accused him of the following:

Al Nasir chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.[8]

Repatriation

Al Nasir was repatriated on February 21, 2007, along with six other Saudis.[2][3] The seven men were detained, without charge, in Hayer Prison, while Saudi justice officials determined whether they had violated any Saudi laws.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b OARDEC (2006-05-15). "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-29. 
  2. ^ a b "Seven Saudi Guantanamo detainees return to the Kingdom". Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, Washington DC. February 21, 2007. http://saudiembassy.net/2007News/News/RelDetail.asp?cIndex=6922. Retrieved March 3, 2007. 
  3. ^ a b "Saudi terror suspects go home". United Press International. February 22, 2007. http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20070222-093416-6203r. Retrieved 2007-03-03. 
  4. ^ "Q&A: What next for Guantanamo prisoners?". BBC News. 2002-01-21. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1773140.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-24.  mirror
  5. ^ "Guatanamo Detainee Processes," United States Department of Defense, updated October 2, 2007, accessed February 23, 2010
  6. ^ Elsea, Jennifer K. (July 20, 2005). "Detainees at Guantanamo Bay: Report for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22173.pdf. Retrieved 2007-11-10. 
  7. ^ OARDEC, Index to Transcripts of Detainee Testimony and Documents Submitted by Detainees at Combatant Status Review Tribunals Held at Guantanamo Between July 2004 and March 2005, September 4, 2007
  8. ^ Summarized transcripts (.pdf), from Faizal Saha Al Nasir's Combatant Status Review Tribunal - pages 121-123
  9. ^ P.K. Abdul Ghafour (February 24, 2007). "Families Meet With Gitmo Returnees". Arab News. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=92646&d=24&m=2&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom. Retrieved 2007-03-03.