Najib Mohammad Lahassimi
Encyclopedia
Najib Mohammad Lahassimi (also transliterated as Najeb Lahassihi and Najib Lahssini) (born September 28, 1978) is a citizen of Morocco
who was held for five years in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 75.
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
counter-terrorism
analysts reported that he was born on September 28, 1978, in Sattat, Morocco.
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
.
hearings. The Administrative Review Boards were not authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, and they were not authorized to review whether a detainee should have been classified as an "enemy combatant".
They were authorized to consider whether a detainee should continue to be detained by the United States, because they continued to pose a threat—or whether they could safely be repatriated to the custody of their home country, or whether they could be set free.
.
The memo is heavily redacted, so it is not possible to know what recommendation his Board made.
But the Board's recommendations are not made public unless the Designated Civilian Official cleared the captive for release.
were sentenced to three years for falsifying documents.
A third Moroccan, Mohamed Souleymani Laalami, was sentenced for a five year term, for starting
a "criminal group".
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 for five years 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...
.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 75.
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Joint Task Force Guantanamo is a U.S. military joint task force based at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba on the southeastern end of the island. JTF-GTMO falls under US Southern Command...
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 reported that he was born on September 28, 1978, in Sattat, Morocco.
Identity
Captive 75 was named inconsistently on various official documents.- Captive 75 was identified as Najib Abdul on the official list released on June 26, 1989, and on four other official lists released on September 4, 2007.
- Captive 75 was identified as Najib Mohammad Lahassimi on the official list released on May 15, 2006.
- Al JazeeraAl JazeeraAl Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
, quoting the Moroccan courts, names a former Guantanamo captive Najib Lahssini. - Captive 75 was identified as Najeeb Al Husseini on the official list of captives whose habeas corpus petitions should be dismissed following their transfer from US custody.
Combatant Status Review Tribunal
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 allegations presented to his Tribunal included:- That he was convinced to go to Afghanistan by a man he met at a Baker StreetBaker StreetBaker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
mosque in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - That he stayed at a Taliban guest house.
- That he attended an Afghan training campAfghan training campAn Afghan training camp is a camp or facility used for militant training located in pre-2002 Afghanistan. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Indian intelligence officials estimated that there were over 120 training camps operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, run by a variety of...
, possibly the al Farouq training campAl Farouq training campThe Al Farouq training camp, also known as "the airport camp", was an alleged Al-Qaeda training camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Camp attendees received small-arms training, map-reading, orientation, explosives training, and other training....
. - That he served on the Taliban's front lines after September 11, 2001.
Transcript
There is no record that Najeb Lahassihi chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.Administrative Review Board hearing
Detainees who were determined to have been properly classified as "enemy combatants" were scheduled to have their dossier reviewed at annual 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. The Administrative Review Boards were not authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, and they were not authorized to review whether a detainee should have been classified as an "enemy combatant".
They were authorized to consider whether a detainee should continue to be detained by the United States, because they continued to pose a threat—or whether they could safely be repatriated to the custody of their home country, or whether they could be set free.
Factors for and against continued detention
The factors for and against his continued detention included:- That he was convinced to go to Afghanistan by a man he met at a Baker StreetBaker StreetBaker Street is a street in the Marylebone district of the City of Westminster in London. It is named after builder William Baker, who laid the street out in the 18th century. The street is most famous for its connection to the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who lived at a fictional 221B...
mosque in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - That he was seen attending the Finsbury Park mosqueFinsbury Park MosqueNorth London Central Mosque in Finsbury Park, London was built in the 1990s to serve the large Muslim population in the area. It has a capacity of 1,800 people....
. - That he stayed at a Taliban guest house.
- That he attended an Afghan training campAfghan training campAn Afghan training camp is a camp or facility used for militant training located in pre-2002 Afghanistan. At the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Indian intelligence officials estimated that there were over 120 training camps operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, run by a variety of...
, possibly the al Farouq training campAl Farouq training campThe Al Farouq training camp, also known as "the airport camp", was an alleged Al-Qaeda training camp near Kandahar, Afghanistan. Camp attendees received small-arms training, map-reading, orientation, explosives training, and other training....
. - That he served on the Taliban's front lines after September 11, 2001.
- That he surrendered to General Dostum.
- That he asserted he never fought against the USA, and that he had no dispute with the USA.
- That he had no intention of engaging in jihadJihadJihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
in the future.
Recommendation
The recommendations his Administrative Review Board made to Gordon England, the Designated Civilian Official were among those released by the Department of DefenseUnited States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
.
The memo is heavily redacted, so it is not possible to know what recommendation his Board made.
But the Board's recommendations are not made public unless the Designated Civilian Official cleared the captive for release.
Moroccan conviction
On November 10, 2006 Lahassimi, and two other Moroccans said to be former Guantanamo detainees, were sentenced by a Moroccan court. Lahassimi, and a Moroccan named Mohammed OualiMohammed Ouali
Mohammed Ouali is a citizen of Morocco, who was convicted of falsifying documents in a Moroccan court on November 10, 2006.Ouali is routinely described as a detainee held without charge in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba for five years...
were sentenced to three years for falsifying documents.
A third Moroccan, Mohamed Souleymani Laalami, was sentenced for a five year term, for starting
a "criminal group".