Mohamed Abdullah Al Harbi
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Abdullah Al Harbi is a citizen of Saudi Arabia
who was held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
s, in Cuba
.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 536.
American counter-terrorism
analysts estimate he was born in 1979, in Riyadh
, Saudi Arabia.
Al Harbi was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 and he was repatriated to Saudi Arabia on February 20, 2007.
Two individuals named al-Harbi were repatriated on February 20, 2007, identified by the Saudi Interior Ministry upon their repatriation as Majed al-Harbi and Muhammad al-Harbi.
Initially the Bush
administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions
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 a 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
.
Al Harbi chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal
.
hearings were convened for Al Harbi, in 2005 and 2006.
Following his 2006 hearing Gordon England the Designated Civilian Official
, with the final authority to clear captives for release, made the decision he should be transferred on November 17, 2006.
The record shows Al Harbi did not chose to attend either his 2005 or 2006 reviews.
was drafted for his first annual Administrative Review Board hearing.
The two-page memo listed ten
"primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and
four "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".
The new factors listed on his memo included:
was drafted for his second annual Administrative Review Board hearing.
The two-page memo listed seven
"primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and
four "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".
The one new factor listed on the 2006 memo was that his Afghan captors had tried to blackmail him to pay a ransom, had offered him a choice of paying a ransom, or turned over the Americans in return for a bounty.
According to that list Al Harbi was transferred on February 20, 2007.
, published an article based on his own reading of the transcripts from the Combatant Status Review Tribunals, on November 11, 2006.
It was Frum who coined the term "Axis of Evil
" for use in a speech he wrote for Bush.
Al Harbi's transcript was one of the nine Frum briefly summarized.
His comment on Al Harbi was:
Frum came to the conclusion that all nine of the men whose transcript he summarized had obviously lied.
He did not, however, state how he came to the conclusion they lied.
His article concluded with the comment:
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...
.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 536.
American counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
analysts estimate he was born in 1979, in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Saudi Arabia.
Al Harbi was captured in Afghanistan in November 2001 and he was repatriated to Saudi Arabia on February 20, 2007.
Two individuals named al-Harbi were repatriated on February 20, 2007, identified by the Saudi Interior Ministry upon their repatriation as Majed al-Harbi and Muhammad al-Harbi.
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
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....
administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions
Geneva 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 a 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...
.
Al Harbi chose to participate in his 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...
.
Allegations
Two Administrative Review BoardAdministrative Review Board
The Administrative Review Board is a United States military body that conducts an annual review of the suspects held by the United States in Camp Delta in the United States Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba....
hearings were convened for Al Harbi, in 2005 and 2006.
Following his 2006 hearing Gordon England the Designated Civilian Official
Designated Civilian Official
The Designated Civilian Official is the title of the civilian appointed to head the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants .The DCO and OARDEC were officially created on June 23, 2004.-Announcement:...
, with the final authority to clear captives for release, made the decision he should be transferred on November 17, 2006.
The record shows Al Harbi did not chose to attend either his 2005 or 2006 reviews.
First annual Administrative Review Board hearing
A two-page Summary of Evidence memoSummary of Evidence (ARB)
Counter-terrorism analysts prepared a Summary of Evidence memo for the Administrative Review Board hearings of approximately 460 captives in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba from December 2004 to December 2005.-Release of the memos:...
was drafted for his first annual Administrative Review Board hearing.
The two-page memo listed ten
"primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and
four "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".
The new factors listed on his memo included:
- One new factor stated that he paid for his own travel expenses.
- One new factor stated that he had told his initial Afghan captors that he was a charity worker—but that "He told them this to gain their sympathy, as they threatened to cut his throat.
- One new factor was that he said he had been beaten during eleven weeks he spent in Afghan captivity.
- One new factor was that he denied participating in any military training or military activities.
Second annual Administrative Review Board hearing
A two-page Summary of Evidence memoSummary of Evidence (ARB)
Counter-terrorism analysts prepared a Summary of Evidence memo for the Administrative Review Board hearings of approximately 460 captives in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba from December 2004 to December 2005.-Release of the memos:...
was drafted for his second annual Administrative Review Board hearing.
The two-page memo listed seven
"primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and
four "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".
The one new factor listed on the 2006 memo was that his Afghan captors had tried to blackmail him to pay a ransom, had offered him a choice of paying a ransom, or turned over the Americans in return for a bounty.
Repatriation
On November 26, 2008 the Department of Defense published a list of the dates when captives were transferred from Guantanamo.According to that list Al Harbi was transferred on February 20, 2007.
Press reports
Canadian journalist, and former special assistant to US President George W. Bush, David FrumDavid Frum
David J. Frum is a Canadian American journalist active in both the United States and Canadian political arenas. A former economic speechwriter for President George W. Bush, he is also the author of the first "insider" book about the Bush presidency...
, published an article based on his own reading of the transcripts from the Combatant Status Review Tribunals, on November 11, 2006.
It was Frum who coined the term "Axis of Evil
Axis of evil
"Axis of evil" is a term initially used by the former United States President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 and often repeated throughout his presidency, describing governments that he accused of helping terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction...
" for use in a speech he wrote for Bush.
Al Harbi's transcript was one of the nine Frum briefly summarized.
His comment on Al Harbi was:
Frum came to the conclusion that all nine of the men whose transcript he summarized had obviously lied.
He did not, however, state how he came to the conclusion they lied.
His article concluded with the comment:
External links
- The Guantánamo Files: Website Extras (8) – Captured in Afghanistan Andy Worthington