Jon Mohammad Barakzai
Encyclopedia
Jon Mohammad Barakzai is an Afghan
man who was held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
.
Mohammed was repatriated in October 2002, together with three elderly men, two Afghan
is and a Pakistan
i.
The men described being chained, for hours, during their interrogations.
Mohammed said that he had been forcibly conscripted into the Taliban army, at gunpoint.Guantanamo prisoners tell of confinement & interrogations, The Daily Iowan
, October 30 2002
Some press reports stated that Mohammed, and the three elderly detainees released at the same time he was, were the first detainees to be released.
Mohammed said he recognized some high level Taliban leaders in the camp, such as Abdul Salam Zaeef
, a former ambassador. He said that the detainees were shackled every time they were removed from their cells.
Mohammed's companions said that they had no contact with their family during their American custody. Mohammed said he received a letter from his family just three days before his release.
complied with a court order
from US District Court Justice Jed Rakoff to release the names of all the Guantanamo detainees.
The DoD released a list of all the captives who had been detained, in military custody, in Guantanamo. The name "Jan Mohammed" is missing from that list.
On June 15, 2008 the McClatchy News Service published articles based on interviews with 66 former Guantanamo captives. McClatchy identified Jan Mohammed as Guantanamo captive 107, listed as "Jon Mohammad Barakzai".
Mohammed described being sent to Sherberghan prison by General Dostum, where:
Jan Mohammed described abuse while in the Afghan custody that preceded his US custody.
He said he had to move, after he returned to Afghanistan, because local Taliban sympathizers suspected his early release was a sign that the was a US spy, or had collaborated with them.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
man who was held in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Mohammed was repatriated in October 2002, together with three elderly men, two Afghan
Demographics of Afghanistan
The population of Afghanistan is around 29,835,392 as of the year 2011, which is unclear if the refugees living outside the country are included or not. The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between...
is and a Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i.
The men described being chained, for hours, during their interrogations.
Mohammed said that he had been forcibly conscripted into the Taliban army, at gunpoint.Guantanamo prisoners tell of confinement & interrogations, The Daily Iowan
The Daily Iowan
The Daily Iowan is an independent, 19,500-circulation daily student newspaper serving Iowa City and the University of Iowa community. It has consistently won a number of collegiate journalism awards, including multiple National Pacemaker Awards, and is generally regarded as one of the finest...
, October 30 2002
Some press reports stated that Mohammed, and the three elderly detainees released at the same time he was, were the first detainees to be released.
Mohammed said he recognized some high level Taliban leaders in the camp, such as Abdul Salam Zaeef
Abdul Salam Zaeef
Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef was the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan before the US invasion of Afghanistan.He was detained in Pakistan in the fall of 2001 as an and held until 2005 in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp...
, a former ambassador. He said that the detainees were shackled every time they were removed from their cells.
Mohammed's companions said that they had no contact with their family during their American custody. Mohammed said he received a letter from his family just three days before his release.
The McClatchy interview
After a long legal battle the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
complied with a court order
Court order
A court order is an official proclamation by a judge that defines the legal relationships between the parties to a hearing, a trial, an appeal or other court proceedings. Such ruling requires or authorizes the carrying out of certain steps by one or more parties to a case...
from US District Court Justice Jed Rakoff to release the names of all the Guantanamo detainees.
The DoD released a list of all the captives who had been detained, in military custody, in Guantanamo. The name "Jan Mohammed" is missing from that list.
On June 15, 2008 the McClatchy News Service published articles based on interviews with 66 former Guantanamo captives. McClatchy identified Jan Mohammed as Guantanamo captive 107, listed as "Jon Mohammad Barakzai".
Mohammed described being sent to Sherberghan prison by General Dostum, where:
Jan Mohammed described abuse while in the Afghan custody that preceded his US custody.
He said he had to move, after he returned to Afghanistan, because local Taliban sympathizers suspected his early release was a sign that the was a US spy, or had collaborated with them.