Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi
Encyclopedia
Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi
(May 16, 1981 – June 10, 2006) was a citizen of Saudi Arabia
, who was held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
s, in Cuba
. The Department of Defense estimates he was born in 1976, in Al Qarara, Saudi Arabia.
Traveling disguised in a burqa
, Al-Utaybi had been arrested with four other men at a Pakistani checkpoint.
Al-Utaybi died in custody on June 10, 2006.
reported that three Guantanamo detainees, two Saudis, and one Yemeni committed suicide. DoD spokesmen refrained from releasing the dead men's identities.
On June 11, 2006 Saudi authorities released the names of the two Saudi men.
Some reports identified one of the dead Saudis as Maniy bin Shaman al-Otaibi.
Other reports identified that man as Mani bin Shaman bin Turki al Habradi.
On 18 January 2010, Scott Horton of Harper’s Magazine published a story denouncing al-Salami's, Al-Utaybi' and Al-Zahrani's deaths as accidental manslaughter during a torture session, and the official account as a cover-up.
A report, Death in Camp Delta, was published by the Center for Policy & Research of Seton Hall University School of Law
, under the supervision of its director, Professor Mark Denbeaux
, denouncing numerous inconsistencies in the official accounts of these deaths.
The Washington Post reported that Al Utaybi had been recommended for transfer to another country.
The DoD did not state to which country he would have been transferred. But they said he would have been held in detention there.
The Washington Post reported: "Lieutenant Commander
. Robert Durand
, a spokesman for the Guantanamo detention center, said he did not know whether al-Utaybi had been informed about the transfer recommendation before he killed himself."
On June 13, 2006 various sources quoted human rights
lawyer Mark Denbeaux
, one of the principal authors of the first Denbeaux study, saying Al Utaybi had not been informed he had been recommended for transfer.
Jeff Davis, one of the lawyers who volunteered to be part of Al Utaybi's legal team, said their efforts had been "thwarted at every turn".
Davis said the legal team had filed a writ of habeas corpus on Al Utaybi's behalf in September 2005.
He said that the DoD claimed their write was invalid because they had spelled his name wrong.
He said that the DoD had thrown up roadblocks in granting them the security clearances necessary to visit Al Utaybi, so they had never visited him. Davis said that the DoD would not deliver their mail to Al Utaybi.
On March 27, 2005 Lieutenant
Wade M. Brown submitted an affidavit
that stated that:
writing in the Washington Post reported
the paper had received 3,000 pages of documents arising from the NCIS investigation through Freedom of Information Act requests.
He reported that the NCIS report attributed the deaths to lapses on the part of the guards, and to a policy of leniency for the compliant captives.
The report said the deaths were in Camp 1, which has now been closed, a camp for compliant captives, and that the men's bodies were masked by laundry they were allowed to hang up to dry.
(May 16, 1981 – June 10, 2006) was a citizen of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, 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...
. The Department of Defense estimates he was born in 1976, in Al Qarara, Saudi Arabia.
Traveling disguised in a burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
, Al-Utaybi had been arrested with four other men at a Pakistani checkpoint.
Al-Utaybi died in custody on June 10, 2006.
Death in custody
On June 10, 2006 the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
reported that three Guantanamo detainees, two Saudis, and one Yemeni committed suicide. DoD spokesmen refrained from releasing the dead men's identities.
On June 11, 2006 Saudi authorities released the names of the two Saudi men.
Some reports identified one of the dead Saudis as Maniy bin Shaman al-Otaibi.
Other reports identified that man as Mani bin Shaman bin Turki al Habradi.
On 18 January 2010, Scott Horton of Harper’s Magazine published a story denouncing al-Salami's, Al-Utaybi' and Al-Zahrani's deaths as accidental manslaughter during a torture session, and the official account as a cover-up.
A report, Death in Camp Delta, was published by the Center for Policy & Research of Seton Hall University School of Law
Seton Hall University School of Law
The Seton Hall University School of Law is part of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law School is the only private law school in New Jersey, and is the top-ranked of the three law schools in the state...
, under the supervision of its director, Professor Mark Denbeaux
Mark Denbeaux
Mark P. Denbeaux is a law professor at Seton Hall University School of Law, Director of the Center for Policy and Research at Seton Hall Law School, author of a standard law text, and practicing attorney of counsel in the family law firm of Denbeaux & Denbeaux.Denbeaux served as senior attorney in...
, denouncing numerous inconsistencies in the official accounts of these deaths.
The Washington Post reported that Al Utaybi had been recommended for transfer to another country.
The DoD did not state to which country he would have been transferred. But they said he would have been held in detention there.
The Washington Post reported: "Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
. Robert Durand
Robert Durand
Robert A. Durand is an American politician who served as the Secretary of Environmental Affairs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2003...
, a spokesman for the Guantanamo detention center, said he did not know whether al-Utaybi had been informed about the transfer recommendation before he killed himself."
On June 13, 2006 various sources quoted human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
lawyer Mark Denbeaux
Mark Denbeaux
Mark P. Denbeaux is a law professor at Seton Hall University School of Law, Director of the Center for Policy and Research at Seton Hall Law School, author of a standard law text, and practicing attorney of counsel in the family law firm of Denbeaux & Denbeaux.Denbeaux served as senior attorney in...
, one of the principal authors of the first Denbeaux study, saying Al Utaybi had not been informed he had been recommended for transfer.
Legal representation
The DoD had initially informed the press that none of the three men who killed themselves had legal representation, or had filed habeas applications.Jeff Davis, one of the lawyers who volunteered to be part of Al Utaybi's legal team, said their efforts had been "thwarted at every turn".
Davis said the legal team had filed a writ of habeas corpus on Al Utaybi's behalf in September 2005.
He said that the DoD claimed their write was invalid because they had spelled his name wrong.
He said that the DoD had thrown up roadblocks in granting them the security clearances necessary to visit Al Utaybi, so they had never visited him. Davis said that the DoD would not deliver their mail to Al Utaybi.
On March 27, 2005 Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Wade M. Brown submitted an affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
that stated that:
Missing organs
The Department of Defense returned the dead men's bodies in mid-June, after al-Utaybi's family openly questioned the claims he'd committed suicide and requested his body for a second autopsy. Utaybi's family reported that the Saudi post-mortem had found that the DoD had retained his brain, heart, liver and kidneys.NCIS Report
On August 23, 2008 Josh WhiteJosh White (journalist)
Josh White is an American journalist.White writes for the Washington Post, but has been published in various publications, including the Los Angeles Times and The Guardian.He is also invited to serve as a commentator on Radio and Television....
writing in the Washington Post reported
the paper had received 3,000 pages of documents arising from the NCIS investigation through Freedom of Information Act requests.
He reported that the NCIS report attributed the deaths to lapses on the part of the guards, and to a policy of leniency for the compliant captives.
The report said the deaths were in Camp 1, which has now been closed, a camp for compliant captives, and that the men's bodies were masked by laundry they were allowed to hang up to dry.
External links
- Murders at Guantánamo: The Cover-Up Continues Andy WorthingtonAndy WorthingtonAndy Worthington is a British historian, journalist, and film director.He has published three books, and been published in numerous publications.In 2009 Worthington was the co-director of a documentary about the Guantanamo detainees....
June 9, 2010 - The Guantánamo “Suicides”: A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle Harper's MagazineHarper's MagazineHarper's Magazine is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts, with a generally left-wing perspective. It is the second-oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the U.S. . The current editor is Ellen Rosenbush, who replaced Roger Hodge in January 2010...
January 18, 2010 - Three Corpses In Gitmo: The Very Worst Seems True The Atlantic 18 January 2010
- Guantánamo 'suicides' were at secret 'black' site The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
January 18, 2010 - US magazine claims Guantánamo inmates were killed during questioning The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
January 18, 2010 - Study faults Guantanamo death probe