Saad Madi Saad al Azmi (born May 29, 1979) is a Kuwaiti citizen.[1] He was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantánamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba, and later repatriated on November 4, 2005. Joint Task Force Guantanamo counter-terrorism analysts report that al-Azmi was born on May 29, 1979, in Doha, Kuwait.
| Saad Madi Saad al Azmi | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 29, 1979 Doha, Kuwait |
| Detained at | Bagram, Guantanamo |
| Other name(s) |
|
| ISN | 571 |
| Status | Repatriated |
Repatriation
editAl-Azmi and four other men were repatriated on November 4, 2005.[2] The five stood trial in a Kuwaiti court, and were acquitted.[3]
The Associated Press reported that the two main charges were that the detainees had helped fund Al Wafa, an Afghan charity with ties to al-Qaeda, and that they had fought alongside the Taliban.[4] Further, the prosecution argued that the detainees actions had endangered Kuwait's political standing and its relations with friendly nations.
The detainees' defense had argued that testimony secured in Guantanamo could not be used in Kuwaiti courts, because the detainees and interrogators hadn't signed them.[4] Further, they had argued, the allegations the USA had directed at them weren't violations of Kuwaiti law.
McClatchy interview
editOn June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service published articles based on interviews with 66 former Guantanamo captives. McClatchy reporters interviewed Saad Madi al Azmi.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]
McClatchy reported remarked that the account of himself he told was at odds with that he offered during his CSR Tribunal.[11] He told McClatchy reporters that he had never been to Afghanistan, and that he was captured in his hotel room in Pakistan by Pakistani police in August 2001. He said he was captured with Adel al Zamel, who the McClatchy reporters noted was captured in Peshawar in January 2002. He said he had traveled to Pakistan to import honey.
When he was arrested his visa had expired.[11] He thought he would soon be released over what was a minor indiscretion, but a Pakistani police officer demanded a bribe first, which he declined, resulting in a longer detention, which, unfortunately, overlapped al Qaeda's attacks on September 11, 2001, making it economically worthwhile for the Pakistani police to turn him over the Americans.
Al Azmi told reporters he was beaten in both Kandahar detention facility and the Bagram Theater Internment Facility.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ OARDEC. "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 2006-05-15.
- ^ "Kuwaitis released from Guantanamo". BBC News. 2005-11-04. Retrieved 2009-05-21.
- ^ "Kuwaiti court acquits ex-Guantanamo prisoners". Independent Online (South Africa). 2006-05-22. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13.
- ^ a b "5 Ex-Guantanamo Detainees Freed in Kuwait". Asharq Alawsat. 2006-05-22. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07.
- ^ Tom Lasseter (June 15, 2008). "Guantanamo Inmate Database: Page 6". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
- ^ Tom Lasseter (June 18, 2008). "U.S. hasn't apologized to or compensated ex-detainees". Myrtle Beach Sun. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ^ Tom Lasseter (June 15, 2008). "Pentagon declined to answer questions about detainees". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ Tom Lasseter (June 16, 2008). "Documents undercut Pentagon's denial of routine abuse". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ Tom Lasseter (June 19, 2008). "Deck stacked against detainees in legal proceedings". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ Tom Lasseter (June 16, 2008). "U.S. abuse of detainees was routine at Afghanistan bases". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on June 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
- ^ a b c d Tom Lasseter (June 15, 2008). "Guantanamo Inmate Database: Saad Madi al Azmi". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on September 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-15. mirror