Lahcen Ikassrien
Encyclopedia
Lahcen Ikassrien is a citizen of Morocco
who was held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
s, in Cuba
.
Ikassrien's Guantanamo ISN was 72.
The Department of Defense
reports that Ikassrien was born on October 2, 1972, in Targist, Morocco.
His real identity was revealed through his fingerprints.
Ikassrien was believed to have ties to Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, a mastermind of
the Madrid bombing.
On July 3, 2005, Ikassrien was extradited to stand trial in Spain.
The International Herald Tribune
reported that Ikassrien was acquitted on October 11, 2006.
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 competent tribunal
s 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 Tribunal
s. 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
.
and three other former Guantanamo captives were the result of the use of abusive interrogation techniques.
Ikassrien,
and the other three men:
Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed, Jamiel Abdul Latif al Banna and Omar Deghayes
, had previously faced charges in Spanish courts, based on confessions they made while in US custody.
Their charges had been dropped based on their claims that their confessions were false and were the result of abusive interrogation techniques.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
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 detainment camp
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
s, 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...
.
Ikassrien's Guantanamo ISN was 72.
The Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
reports that Ikassrien was born on October 2, 1972, in Targist, Morocco.
Background
When Ikassrien was first captured authorities thought his name was Reswan A. Abdesalam.His real identity was revealed through his fingerprints.
Ikassrien was believed to have ties to Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, a mastermind of
the Madrid bombing.
On July 3, 2005, Ikassrien was extradited to stand trial in Spain.
The International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
reported that Ikassrien was acquitted on October 11, 2006.
Combatant Status Review
Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva ConventionsGeneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
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 competent tribunal
Competent tribunal
Competent Tribunal is a term used Article 5 paragraph 2 of the Third Geneva Convention, which states:-ICRC commentary on competent tribunals:...
s to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
status.
Subsequently the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunal
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
The Combatant Status Review Tribunals were a set of tribunals for confirming whether detainees held by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been correctly designated as "enemy combatants". The CSRTs were established July 7, 2004 by order of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense...
s. 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
Enemy combatant
Enemy combatant is a term historically referring to members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war. Prior to 2008, the definition was: "Any person in an armed conflict who could be properly detained under the laws and customs of war." In the case of a civil war or an...
.
Allegations
The following allegations were presented to his Tribunal:Transcript
There is no record that Lahcen Ikassrien chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.Animal Number 64
On November 19, 2006, El Pais published an article in which Ikassrien alleges that he had been tortured during his detention in Kandahar. He alleges that a North American soldier attached a plastic bracelet on his right hand with the words "Animal Number 64" that he had to wear during the time of his detention.Torture claims investigation
On April 29, 2009, that Spanish investigating magistrate Baltazar Garzon initiated a formal investigation into whether confessions from Ikassrien,and three other former Guantanamo captives were the result of the use of abusive interrogation techniques.
Ikassrien,
and the other three men:
Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed, Jamiel Abdul Latif al Banna and Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes
Omar Deghayes is a Libyan citizen with residency status in the United Kingdom, who was arrested in Pakistan in 2002. He currently lives in the United Kingdom....
, had previously faced charges in Spanish courts, based on confessions they made while in US custody.
Their charges had been dropped based on their claims that their confessions were false and were the result of abusive interrogation techniques.
External links
- The Case of Lahcen Ikassrien: Torture in Kandahar and Guantánamo Andy Worthington
- Animal Number 64 El Pais - November 20, 2006 (translated into English by the Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas)
- The Guantánamo Files: Website Extras (1) – The Qala-i-Janghi Massacre Andy Worthington