Mamdouh Habib
Encyclopedia
Mamdouh Habib is an Egypt
ian born Australia
n Muslim
best known for his extrajudicial detention
in the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
s, in Cuba
, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.
The United States accused Habib of having had knowledge of the 11 September 2001 attacks, training the hijackers, staying at an al-Qaeda
safe house in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance, helping to transfer chemical weapons, and planning to hijack the aircraft used in the 11 September attacks. However there was no evidence to support these claims and he was eventually released. Australian officials acknowledged that he "knew nothing about terrorism".
In November 2008, Habib released a book co-written with Julia Collingwood titled My Story: The Tale of a Terrorist Who Wasn't detailing his experiences.
, moved to Australia
in 1980, became a citizen there, married a woman named Maha, had four children, and taught Islam, while running a coffee shop
in Sydney. He is a dual citizen of Australia and of Egypt.
After being released without charge he ran as an independent political candidate in New South Wales state election, 2007, but failed to gain a seat after polling less than 5% in his electorate.
Current Affairs program Four Corners the (Australian) Defence Housing Authority took out an apprehended violence order against him, claiming he made a threatening phone call following the unjustified cancellation of a contract Habib had with the organisation. Habib says the alleged phone call was nothing more than an argument over a contract. In court his psychiatrist testified that Habib was suffering from major depression and was being treated with Prozac, but that he was not prone to violence. A witness stated at the trial; "He is irritable. He has been preoccupied with a sense of hopelessness about his future. He has become withdrawn and he has been very agitated at home and he has been crying excessively as well. There is no evidence to suggest that he is aggressive or about to become aggressive or violent. He is not dangerous at this point."
According to the same programme, in early 2001 at a meeting with police, Habib was described as showing "signs of hostility towards government organisations and the community generally". The Protective Services Group was asked to do "a detailed threat assessment" of Mr Habib. The final conclusion was that there was no information to support concerns that Habib might carry out an act of violence. The police decided Habib was "a repetitious and vexatious complainant" and that "little credibility could be attributed to any threats or allegations he may make".
On 1 May 2009, Habib lost an appeal in the Full Federal Court against a 2007 Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) decision that affirmed the former Foreign Affairs minister's decision in 2006 to refuse Mr Habib an Australian passport. Mr Habib had appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) against that decision. The AAT concluded that Mr Habib and his wife had given false evidence in the proceedings. The tribunal used this conclusion to find Mr Habib still held the same extremist sentiments that it was accepted he had held before 2001.
, deported to Egypt
where he was held for 5 months, transferred to US military custody, imprisoned in Afghanistan
, then sent to Camp X-ray
, the United States
military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
. His documents from Guantanamo Bay were released by Wikileaks: http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
A Pentagon
spokesman said that Habib was a terrorist who spent his trip across the border in Afghanistan, "either supporting hostile forces, or on the battlefield fighting illegally against the U.S.".
, Pakistan. The bus was stopped by local police who arrested Habib and two Germans. The two German citizens arrested with Habib were released shortly thereafter.
The Four Corners airing stated that, under intense and lengthy interrogation, the two Germans were asked whether they had seen Habib, and whether he had told them that he had been in Afghanistan
. They said nothing that incriminated Habib; one replied; "No. I didn't see him in the camps I was in. Nor did he tell us that he had been in a training camp."
Australian government authorities allege that Habib was in Afghanistan, and that while there he took an advanced al-Qaeda
training course in a camp near Kabul. It is claimed that the course included surveillance and photographing facilities, the establishment and use of safe houses, covert travel and writing secret reports. Australian authorities say that several other men who took part in the course identified Habib as having been there. Evidence to support these claims has not been made public.
In an interview with the Australian ABC Habib refused to confirm whether he had been in Afghanistan, not because he did not want to answer, but because he had court hearings coming up.
, and that when he gave an answer his Pakistani interrogators didn't believe, they would jolt him with electricity until he fainted.
Habib was then sent to Egypt for five months.
His Egyptian captors allegedly shocked him with high-voltage wires, hung him from metal hooks on walls, and beat him. An Egyptian official stated that he could not comment on these specific allegations, but added that accusations that the Egyptian government was torturing people "tend to be mythology".
However the claims have been substantiated by Moazzam Begg
and other witnesses.
"They outsource torture," said Stephen Hopper, Habib's Australian lawyer.
"You get your friends and allies to do your dirty work for you." Habib however, has said that some of his interrogators in Pakistan clearly had American accents, and that one had a tattoo of an American flag attached to a flagpole depicted as a middle finger
.
The former coffee shop owner soon confessed to a litany of terrorism-related crimes, including teaching martial arts to several of the 11 September hijackers
and planning a hijacking himself.
Habib later insisted that his confessions were false and given under "duress and torture."
Habib was then sent to Guantanamo Bay
for two years where he alleges further abuse. He says that he was told by interrogators that his family had been killed, and that he was tied to the ground while a prostitute menstruated on him. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has publicly challenged Habib's claims, saying "no evidence has been found to prove that torture has been used at the camp.".
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
interviewed Christopher Tennant
, the director of Sydney University's Psychological medicine unit.
In the interview Tennant said:
Mamdouh Ibrahim Ahmed Habib's behalf.
In response, on 1 October 2004,
the Department of Defense released 63
pages of unclassified documents related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
On 20 September 2004 his "enemy combatant" status was confirmed by Tribunal panel 6.
at the Washington Post published a front-page story giving Habib's side of the story, and detailing his rendition and torture. Later that day, the American government announced they would not be charging Habib after all, and would agree to release him to Australia. Australian Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock announced that Habib would be repatriated within days.
A special plane was chartered by the Australian government (for approximately $500,000) to fly Habib home because the US would not allow him to travel on an ordinary commercial flight.
Habib was released by the US Military and returned to Australia on 28 January 2005.
With Habib back home, Australian officials have revoked his passport, say he remains under suspicion, and warn his activities will be constantly monitored to ensure he does not become a security threat. He has not been charged and remains relatively free.
His records from Guantanamo Bay indicate that he was considered a relatively high risk: http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
The Australian government also wants to prevent Habib being paid by the media for interviews or "making profits from committing a crime" even though he has not been convicted of any crime by any country (it is important to note whilst anti-terrorism laws in Australia currently make it illegal to be involved in terrorist organisations, Habib was already in custody when these laws were introduced and so he cannot be convicted under them). The then Australian Prime Minister, John Howard
, ruled out any apology to Habib.
Habib told his family everything that had happened since he left Sydney in July 2001. Just in case something bad happens to him, he said, "I want them to know fully everything".
On 22 August 2005 Habib was allegedly attacked by three men with a knife while walking with his wife near his home in Guildford.
He told police that he was followed by a car that cut its headlights as he and his wife, Maha, went for a walk just after midnight, and that as the men ran away the person holding the knife had yelled "something like 'this should keep you quiet"'.
On 29 March 2006, Habib and his son Moustafa said that they witnessed the aftermath of a double murder in the Sydney
suburb of Granville
. When they reported the murder to police, Habib alleges they were abused, assaulted and interrogated by police officers. On 3 April, he announced he intended to sue New South Wales Police
for false imprisonment and assault.
On 11 June 2007 the Australian Broadcasting Commission's (ABC) investigative journalism program Four Corners aired a documentary on extraordinary renditions, much of which focussed on Habib's case.
On 7 March 2008 Habib lost his defamation case against Nationwide News, publisher of The Daily Telegraph. Justice Peter McClellan found Habib was "prone to exaggerate", "evasive" and had made claims about mistreatment in Pakistan and Egypt which could not be sustained. He found that "Habib's claims that he was seriously mistreated in the place of detention in Islamabad cannot be accepted" and "that this evidence was given in order to enhance his forensic position in the present litigation."
His records from Guantanamo Bay also indicate that he was frequently deceptive. http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
Habib will appear in a ten minute play Waiting For Mamdouh, in which he will deliver monologues about his time in detention, at the Short+Sweet theatrical festival in Sydney in February 2010.
In December 2010, Habib reached an out-of-court settlement with the Australian government. He received a secret sum in exchange for absolving the government of liability in his torture case. Habib now plans to use the money to begin an international lawsuit against the Egypt and United States governments. Habib says he has fresh evidence including film footage. His documents from Guantanamo Bay were released by Wikileaks in April 2011.http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
In May 2011, Habib has been granted an Australian passport and ASIO
confirmed it no longer considers him a security risk.
and the seat was comfortably retained by the Australian Labor Party
.
He campaigned for the removal of the Federal Government's anti-terror laws
, stating "The terror laws are if you have terrorists, but we don't have terrorists". He is linked to the Socialist Alternative (Australia)
, and has made speeches at Socialist Alternative events to promote his book and raise awareness of the anti-terror laws in Australia.
Bob Brown
invited Ahmed Habib to parliament to attend George Bush's
24 October 2003 speech to parliament. Ahmed was escorted from parliament after calling out "What about my father's rights?"
Wikileaks release of Guantanamo Documents http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian born Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
best known for his 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 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...
, on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.
The United States accused Habib of having had knowledge of the 11 September 2001 attacks, training the hijackers, staying at an al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
safe house in Afghanistan, conducting surveillance, helping to transfer chemical weapons, and planning to hijack the aircraft used in the 11 September attacks. However there was no evidence to support these claims and he was eventually released. Australian officials acknowledged that he "knew nothing about terrorism".
In November 2008, Habib released a book co-written with Julia Collingwood titled My Story: The Tale of a Terrorist Who Wasn't detailing his experiences.
Life
He was born in 1956 in EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, moved to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1980, became a citizen there, married a woman named Maha, had four children, and taught Islam, while running a coffee shop
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
in Sydney. He is a dual citizen of Australia and of Egypt.
After being released without charge he ran as an independent political candidate in New South Wales state election, 2007, but failed to gain a seat after polling less than 5% in his electorate.
1990s
According to the ABCAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
Current Affairs program Four Corners the (Australian) Defence Housing Authority took out an apprehended violence order against him, claiming he made a threatening phone call following the unjustified cancellation of a contract Habib had with the organisation. Habib says the alleged phone call was nothing more than an argument over a contract. In court his psychiatrist testified that Habib was suffering from major depression and was being treated with Prozac, but that he was not prone to violence. A witness stated at the trial; "He is irritable. He has been preoccupied with a sense of hopelessness about his future. He has become withdrawn and he has been very agitated at home and he has been crying excessively as well. There is no evidence to suggest that he is aggressive or about to become aggressive or violent. He is not dangerous at this point."
According to the same programme, in early 2001 at a meeting with police, Habib was described as showing "signs of hostility towards government organisations and the community generally". The Protective Services Group was asked to do "a detailed threat assessment" of Mr Habib. The final conclusion was that there was no information to support concerns that Habib might carry out an act of violence. The police decided Habib was "a repetitious and vexatious complainant" and that "little credibility could be attributed to any threats or allegations he may make".
On 1 May 2009, Habib lost an appeal in the Full Federal Court against a 2007 Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) decision that affirmed the former Foreign Affairs minister's decision in 2006 to refuse Mr Habib an Australian passport. Mr Habib had appealed to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) against that decision. The AAT concluded that Mr Habib and his wife had given false evidence in the proceedings. The tribunal used this conclusion to find Mr Habib still held the same extremist sentiments that it was accepted he had held before 2001.
2001 to 2005 imprisonment: Pakistan, Egypt, Afghanistan, Cuba
Habib traveled to Pakistan in 2001, hoping to find employment and religious schools for his children. He was arrested in PakistanPakistan
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...
, deported to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
where he was held for 5 months, transferred to US military custody, imprisoned in Afghanistan
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...
, then sent to Camp X-ray
Camp X-Ray
Camp X-Ray was a temporary detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp of Joint Task Force Guantanamo on the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.The first twenty detainees arrived at Guantanamo on January 11, 2002....
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, 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...
. His documents from Guantanamo Bay were released by Wikileaks: http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
A Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
spokesman said that Habib was a terrorist who spent his trip across the border in Afghanistan, "either supporting hostile forces, or on the battlefield fighting illegally against the U.S.".
Arrest
Habib was arrested on 5 October 2001 while traveling by bus to KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Pakistan. The bus was stopped by local police who arrested Habib and two Germans. The two German citizens arrested with Habib were released shortly thereafter.
The Four Corners airing stated that, under intense and lengthy interrogation, the two Germans were asked whether they had seen Habib, and whether he had told them that he had been in Afghanistan
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...
. They said nothing that incriminated Habib; one replied; "No. I didn't see him in the camps I was in. Nor did he tell us that he had been in a training camp."
Australian government authorities allege that Habib was in Afghanistan, and that while there he took an advanced al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
training course in a camp near Kabul. It is claimed that the course included surveillance and photographing facilities, the establishment and use of safe houses, covert travel and writing secret reports. Australian authorities say that several other men who took part in the course identified Habib as having been there. Evidence to support these claims has not been made public.
In an interview with the Australian ABC Habib refused to confirm whether he had been in Afghanistan, not because he did not want to answer, but because he had court hearings coming up.
Torture allegations
Habib alleges that he was beaten and humiliated in Pakistan after his arrest. He also alleges that an Australian official was present at some of these interrogations, but the Australian Government has denied this. Habib also claims to have been suspended to a ceiling by his arms, standing atop a barrel drumBarrel drum
Barrel drums are a class of membranophone, or drum, characterized by a barrel-shape with a bulge in the middle. They are often one-headed and open at the bottom...
, and that when he gave an answer his Pakistani interrogators didn't believe, they would jolt him with electricity until he fainted.
Habib was then sent to Egypt for five months.
His Egyptian captors allegedly shocked him with high-voltage wires, hung him from metal hooks on walls, and beat him. An Egyptian official stated that he could not comment on these specific allegations, but added that accusations that the Egyptian government was torturing people "tend to be mythology".
However the claims have been substantiated by Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
and other witnesses.
"They outsource torture," said Stephen Hopper, Habib's Australian lawyer.
"You get your friends and allies to do your dirty work for you." Habib however, has said that some of his interrogators in Pakistan clearly had American accents, and that one had a tattoo of an American flag attached to a flagpole depicted as a middle finger
Middle finger
The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is usually the longest finger...
.
The former coffee shop owner soon confessed to a litany of terrorism-related crimes, including teaching martial arts to several of the 11 September hijackers
Responsibility for the September 11 attacks
Two weeks after the September 11 attacks, the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the hijackers and connected them to al-Qaeda, a global, decentralized terrorist network...
and planning a hijacking himself.
Habib later insisted that his confessions were false and given under "duress and torture."
Habib was then sent to Guantanamo Bay
Camp X-Ray
Camp X-Ray was a temporary detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp of Joint Task Force Guantanamo on the U.S. Naval Base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.The first twenty detainees arrived at Guantanamo on January 11, 2002....
for two years where he alleges further abuse. He says that he was told by interrogators that his family had been killed, and that he was tied to the ground while a prostitute menstruated on him. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has publicly challenged Habib's claims, saying "no evidence has been found to prove that torture has been used at the camp.".
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
interviewed Christopher Tennant
Christopher Tennant
Christopher Tennant is an American magazine editor, artist, and author of The Official Filthy Rich Handbook, published by Workman Publishing in June 2008....
, the director of Sydney University's Psychological medicine unit.
In the interview Tennant said:
- "He showed me marks on his back, he showed me cigarette burns on his body, and the subsequent examination by another professor of medicine, more expert in physical examination than me, confirmed that he's got skin discolouration on his right loin which would be consistent with old bruising, which in turn would be consistent with beating..."
- "Well, the main feature of the medical report from Guantanamo was that he had had repeatedly blood in his urine, which is a very significant symptom and a worrying symptom, and that was consistent with his reports both to me and to the specialist physician who also examined him, and was consistent with the fact that, on examination, he had evidence of discolouration to his skin on his right loin, just over his kidney, which in turn was consistent with old bruising and possibly due to being beaten."
Mamdouh Ibrahim Ahmed Habib v. George Bush
A writ of habeas corpus, Mamdouh Ibrahim Ahmed Habib v. George Bush, was submitted onMamdouh Ibrahim Ahmed Habib's behalf.
In response, on 1 October 2004,
the Department of Defense released 63
pages of unclassified documents related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
On 20 September 2004 his "enemy combatant" status was confirmed by Tribunal panel 6.
2005 on: release and post-release
On 11 January, the day before his charges were scheduled to be laid, Dana PriestDana Priest
Dana Priest is an American author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. Priest has worked almost 20 years for The Washington Post. As one of the Post's specialists on National Security she has written many articles on the United States' "War on terror." In 2006 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Beat...
at the Washington Post published a front-page story giving Habib's side of the story, and detailing his rendition and torture. Later that day, the American government announced they would not be charging Habib after all, and would agree to release him to Australia. Australian Attorney-General Phillip Ruddock announced that Habib would be repatriated within days.
A special plane was chartered by the Australian government (for approximately $500,000) to fly Habib home because the US would not allow him to travel on an ordinary commercial flight.
Habib was released by the US Military and returned to Australia on 28 January 2005.
With Habib back home, Australian officials have revoked his passport, say he remains under suspicion, and warn his activities will be constantly monitored to ensure he does not become a security threat. He has not been charged and remains relatively free.
His records from Guantanamo Bay indicate that he was considered a relatively high risk: http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
The Australian government also wants to prevent Habib being paid by the media for interviews or "making profits from committing a crime" even though he has not been convicted of any crime by any country (it is important to note whilst anti-terrorism laws in Australia currently make it illegal to be involved in terrorist organisations, Habib was already in custody when these laws were introduced and so he cannot be convicted under them). The then Australian Prime Minister, John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
, ruled out any apology to Habib.
Habib told his family everything that had happened since he left Sydney in July 2001. Just in case something bad happens to him, he said, "I want them to know fully everything".
On 22 August 2005 Habib was allegedly attacked by three men with a knife while walking with his wife near his home in Guildford.
He told police that he was followed by a car that cut its headlights as he and his wife, Maha, went for a walk just after midnight, and that as the men ran away the person holding the knife had yelled "something like 'this should keep you quiet"'.
On 29 March 2006, Habib and his son Moustafa said that they witnessed the aftermath of a double murder in the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb of Granville
Granville, New South Wales
Granville, is a suburb in western Sydney, Australia. Granville is located west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. A small part in the north-west is located in the Local Government Area of the City of Holroyd.South Granville is a...
. When they reported the murder to police, Habib alleges they were abused, assaulted and interrogated by police officers. On 3 April, he announced he intended to sue New South Wales Police
New South Wales Police
The New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is an agency of the Government of New South Wales within the New South Wales Ministry for Police...
for false imprisonment and assault.
On 11 June 2007 the Australian Broadcasting Commission's (ABC) investigative journalism program Four Corners aired a documentary on extraordinary renditions, much of which focussed on Habib's case.
On 7 March 2008 Habib lost his defamation case against Nationwide News, publisher of The Daily Telegraph. Justice Peter McClellan found Habib was "prone to exaggerate", "evasive" and had made claims about mistreatment in Pakistan and Egypt which could not be sustained. He found that "Habib's claims that he was seriously mistreated in the place of detention in Islamabad cannot be accepted" and "that this evidence was given in order to enhance his forensic position in the present litigation."
His records from Guantanamo Bay also indicate that he was frequently deceptive. http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf
Habib will appear in a ten minute play Waiting For Mamdouh, in which he will deliver monologues about his time in detention, at the Short+Sweet theatrical festival in Sydney in February 2010.
In December 2010, Habib reached an out-of-court settlement with the Australian government. He received a secret sum in exchange for absolving the government of liability in his torture case. Habib now plans to use the money to begin an international lawsuit against the Egypt and United States governments. Habib says he has fresh evidence including film footage. His documents from Guantanamo Bay were released by Wikileaks in April 2011.
In May 2011, Habib has been granted an Australian passport and ASIO
Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...
confirmed it no longer considers him a security risk.
Entrance into Australian politics
In the March 2007 New South Wales state election, Habib stood as an independent candidate in the safe Labor seat of Auburn in Sydney. He received less than 5% of the voteand the seat was comfortably retained by the Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
.
He campaigned for the removal of the Federal Government's anti-terror laws
Australian Anti-Terrorism Act 2005
The Anti-Terrorism Act 2005 is legislation intended to hamper the activities of any potential terrorists in Australia. It was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament on 6 December 2005.- Chronology :...
, stating "The terror laws are if you have terrorists, but we don't have terrorists". He is linked to the Socialist Alternative (Australia)
Socialist Alternative (Australia)
Socialist Alternative is a Trotskyist political organisation in Australia formed by an expulsion from the former International Socialist Organisation in 1995. It is one of the largest groups of the Australian far Left, claiming to have the largest active membership. With branches across...
, and has made speeches at Socialist Alternative events to promote his book and raise awareness of the anti-terror laws in Australia.
Family members
Habib has four children, including twin sons Ahmed Mandouh Habib and Islam Hassam.Bob Brown
Bob Brown
Robert James Brown is an Australian senator, the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and was the first openly gay member of the Parliament of Australia...
invited Ahmed Habib to parliament to attend George Bush's
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
24 October 2003 speech to parliament. Ahmed was escorted from parliament after calling out "What about my father's rights?"
External links
- Habib sues Egyptian VP over alleged torture April 15, 2011
- Habib wins defamation case 16 March 2010
- Ex-Guantanamo detainee Mamdouh Habib to sue Australia BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
25 February 2010 - Link to Mamdouh's one man play about his experiences in Guantanamo Bay being presented at Short+Sweet Sydney 2010
- Prisoners without Trials - news and analysis of the Habib case
- LA Times Comprehensive article.
- ABC "4 Corners" documentary "Worst of the Worst" – Aired 19 July 2004 – includes link to transcript. This fills in some background to Habib, suggesting that he was "a man on the edge".
- Habib trained terrorists: US, Sydney Morning Herald, 7 October 2004
- Prostitute used in Habib torture – lawyer, Sydney Morning Herald 27 January 2005
- Rudd Govt. tries to block Guantanamo torture case
- cageprisoners.com entry for Mamdouh Habib
- Profile: Mamdouh Habib, BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
,_January_28, 2005 - Mamdouh Habib reunites with family – a transcript, Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, 28 January 2005 - Maha and Mamdouh Habib with their two daughters, May 2005 / John Immig mirror
Wikileaks release of Guantanamo Documents http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011/04/25/1226044/528311-mamdouh-habib-file.pdf