Swedish captives in Guantanamo
Encyclopedia
The United States Department of Defense
acknowledges holding one Swedish captive in Guantanamo.
A total of 778 captives have been held in extrajudicial detention
in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
since the camps opened on January 11, 2002
The camp population peaked in 2004 at approximately 660. Only nineteen new captives, all "high value detainees" have been transferred there since the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Rasul v. Bush
.
Mehdi Mohammad Ghezali, the sole Swedish captive in Guantanamo, was repatriated prior to the institution of the Combatant Status Review Tribunal
s.
He was the subject of a feature length documentary that has received world-wide distribution.
Ghazali was apprehended by Pakistani authorities in August 2009 with a dozen other individuals.
Pakistani security officials claim the travelers planned to travel to Miranshah
to meet with a Taliban leader. Ghezali says they were traveling to Lahore
to attend a Tablighi Jamaat
conference.
A young Swedish couple, Munir Awad
and Safia Benaouda
, who were visiting Somalia
when it was invaded by Kenyan and Ethiopia
n forces in 2007, reported being captured by Kenyan soldiers who were led by Americans.
They reported being held in secret detention centres run with American oversight, and being interrogated by American interrogators. They were set free after several months of extrajudicial detention
.
They were later captured with Ghezali in Pakistan.
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
acknowledges holding one Swedish captive in Guantanamo.
A total of 778 captives have been 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 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...
since the camps opened on January 11, 2002
The camp population peaked in 2004 at approximately 660. Only nineteen new captives, all "high value detainees" have been transferred there since the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Rasul v. Bush
Rasul v. Bush
Rasul v. Bush, 542 U.S. 466 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court decision establishing that the U.S. court system has the authority to decide whether foreign nationals held in Guantanamo Bay were wrongfully imprisoned...
.
Mehdi Mohammad Ghezali, the sole Swedish captive in Guantanamo, was repatriated prior to the institution of 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.
He was the subject of a feature length documentary that has received world-wide distribution.
Ghazali was apprehended by Pakistani authorities in August 2009 with a dozen other individuals.
Pakistani security officials claim the travelers planned to travel to Miranshah
Miranshah
Miranshah is the capital or headquarters of North Waziristan in Pakistan. It is the site of a town, which has s small airfield that was built by the British for World War II. The area in which Miranshah sits is extremely dangerous mainly due to Taliban activities and U.S. Drone...
to meet with a Taliban leader. Ghezali says they were traveling to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
to attend a Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to...
conference.
A young Swedish couple, Munir Awad
Munir Awad
Munir Awad is a Lebanon-born citizen of Sweden who has fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.Munir Awad, and his fiancee, Safia Benaouda , were captured when Kenya forces, with United States support, invaded Somalia.The pair describe being held in extrajudicial detention...
and Safia Benaouda
Safia Benaouda
Safie Benaouda is a citizen of Sweden who had fallen under suspicion of an association with terrorism.Safie is the daughter of the head of Muslim Council of Sweden Helena Benaouda....
, who were visiting Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
when it was invaded by Kenyan and Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n forces in 2007, reported being captured by Kenyan soldiers who were led by Americans.
They reported being held in secret detention centres run with American oversight, and being interrogated by American interrogators. They were set free after several months of 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...
.
They were later captured with Ghezali in Pakistan.