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Abd al-Rahim Abdul Rassak al-Janko

From Alfawiki
Abd al-Rahim Abdul Rassak al-Janko
Born1977
Turkey
OccupationFormer detainee
Known forDetention at Guantanamo Bay without charges; first detainee to formally request evidence for detention in U.S. federal court

Abd al-Rahim Abdul Rassak al-Janko (عبدالرحیم عبدالرزاق الجنکو; born 1977), a Syrian Kurd, pursued his studies in the United Arab Emirates before traveling to Afghanistan in 2000. During his time there, the Taliban apprehended him, accusing him of conspiring to assassinate Osama bin Laden and engaging in espionage for both Israel and the United States. He was also charged with homosexuality.

Following the 2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, al-Janko sought assistance from a British journalist, explaining that he had been held captive by the Taliban for two years. Instead of receiving help, U.S. forces detained him and subsequently transferred him to Guantanamo Bay, where he remained for seven years without formal charges.

U.S. forces recovered a Taliban interrogation video from 2000 featuring al-Janko accused of sodomy and spying. The Bush administration made this footage public but removed its audio track and inaccurately portrayed it as a "martyrdom video," wrongly asserting that he spoke about dying as a martyr after the invasion. Although officials internally recognized it as an interrogation recording, they publicly dismissed it as propaganda and included al-Janko on the FBI’s War on Terrorism list. Amnesty International criticized the use of this video as evidence against him.

During his detention at Guantanamo, authorities noted that his prior imprisonment by the Taliban made it improbable that he had engaged in hostilities or earned militants’ trust. Nevertheless, he was designated an "enemy combatant." Medical personnel documented his struggles with depression and suicide attempts, diagnosing him with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), though al-Janko contended this diagnosis concealed posttraumatic stress disorder stemming from mistreatment by both the Taliban and U.S. personnel. Over time, he accrued 112 disciplinary violations for various infractions while detained.

On 20 June 2008, al-Janko became the first detainee at Guantanamo to formally request in U.S. federal court that the government present evidence justifying his continued detention. The presiding judge declared that the U.S. government's case "defies common sense."

After seven years of confinement, al-Janko was quietly released in 2009 and currently lives in Antwerp, Belgium.

Life prior to imprisonment

Al-Janko was born in Turkey as the fourth child among eleven siblings. His Kurdish parents were killed by Turkish forces in 1980. He then spent a decade living with his stepparents in Syria before relocating to Ajman in the United Arab Emirates during the early 1990s when his Salafist stepfather accepted a teaching role there.

Between 1998 and 2000, al-Janko studied law and literature at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in the Emirates alongside individuals such as Faiz Mohammed Ahmed Al Kandari and Abd Al Aziz Sayer Uwain Al Shammeri. He alleged that Prince Fisal Sudid Qasmi blackmailed him after he attended a college party, coercing him into spying on professors and students who advocated traveling for jihad. He later retracted these claims, stating they were made under torture, and denied accusations related to drug use, homosexuality, and espionage.

Al-Janko informed his attorneys that he escaped from his "strict Muslim [step]father," whom he described as authoritarian and abusive. After unsuccessful attempts to obtain assistance from Canadian, Syrian, and U.S. embassies, colleagues at the Mosab bin Omer Center in Ajman persuaded him to assume the identity of an undocumented Afghan migrant worker to seek asylum abroad. He asserts that he successfully impersonated such a worker and was "deported" to Afghanistan at the expense of the Emirati government.

In Afghanistan, under the alias Dujana al-Kurdi, he spent between 18 and 45 days at Al Farouq training camp performing menial duties such as chopping wood and cleaning weapons. A commander named al-Saidi later handed him over to Atef and Saif al-Adel at the Ghulam Bachi safehouse, suspecting him of espionage—likely because al-Janko had requested permission to leave before frontline deployment due to concerns for his personal safety.

Detention under the Taliban

Shortly after arriving in Afghanistan in January 2000, al-Jenko was apprehended by al-Qaeda agents, accused of spying for Israel, the United States, and the UAE, as well as charged with drug use and homosexual acts. On 1 May, custody of al-Jenko was transferred to the Taliban, who sentenced him to 25 years imprisonment at Sarposa prison following an alleged confession implicating him in an espionage network led by Arkan Mohammad Ghafil Al Karim, who was also captured and later detained at Guantanamo Bay alongside al-Janko.

In July 2000, the Taliban released a transcript of al-Janko’s confession, asserting that he had been corrupted by a "malicious acquaintance" who introduced him to Sony PlayStation, pornography, and a fabricated Israeli intelligence officer named "Shamoyel Anty". This confession was broadcast on television in the UAE, bringing disgrace upon his family and prompting a denunciation from his stepfather.

Transition from Taliban to American Detention

Al-Janko was one of nine U.S. nationals transferred directly from Taliban control into American custody, according to reports by the Associated Press.

In January 2002, Tim Reid of The Times encountered al-Janko in Kandahar shortly after his release from two years of severe Taliban imprisonment. Reid noted that al-Janko and four other foreign captives were the only detainees remaining in a deserted Taliban prison following the regime’s collapse. These individuals became collectively known as the "Kandahar Five".

Between the fall of the Taliban and the arrival of American forces, al-Janko met several journalists including Thorne Anderson, Michael Ware from Time, Pierre Lhuillery of AFP, and Tim Reid himself. Their reports highlighted visible evidence of physical abuse and psychological distress. Both Ware and Reid called for international intervention on behalf of al-Janko, unaware that he would soon be taken into U.S. custody.

Recovery of Interrogation Footage

On January 14, 2002, five video tapes were retrieved from the ruins of Mohammad Atef’s destroyed residence near Kabul, Afghanistan. These recordings featured Abderraouf Jdey, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Muhammad Sa'id Ali Hasan, and Khalid Ibn Muhammad Al-Juhani declaring their readiness to die as martyrs. Additionally, footage capturing Al-Rahim undergoing interrogation—apparently after being tortured by Atef—was discovered, showing his responses to allegations of espionage for American and Israeli intelligence.

Three days later, on January 17, 2002, the FBI published its inaugural Most Wanted Terrorists Seeking Information list profiling these five individuals suspected of planning further attacks. The videos were presented without audio to avoid any concealed signals; however, had sound been included, it might have contradicted some U.S. assertions.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft called for international collaboration to "identify, locate and incapacitate terrorists suspected of planning attacks against innocent civilians," emphasizing that analysis indicated these men had undergone training for suicide missions.

At that time, only Ramzi bin al-Shibh was widely recognized among the five suspects. The FBI’s video compilations also featured Muhammad Sa'id Ali Hasan, al-Janko, and Khalid Ibn Muhammad Al-Juhani. The fifth individual was identified a week later as Abderraouf Jdey.

Following this, al-Janko along with three others were removed from the FBI’s primary Seeking Information list. By February 2003, the FBI restructured its wanted lists, relocating these five suspects—including Jdey’s Montreal-based associate Boussora—to a distinct "Martyrdom Messages/video, Seeking Information Alert" section. Both Jdey and Boussora were eventually reinstated on the main FBI list when it was renamed "Seeking Information - War on Terrorism" to distinguish it from conventional fugitive listings.

Detention by the United States

Al-Janko was held at Kandahar Air Base from January until May 2002 before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay. He claims that during interrogations, he endured sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme temperatures, stress positions, physical abuse, and intimidation. Like Ibn Shaykh al-Libi, al-Janko allegedly provided false information under coercion, falsely connecting Saddam Hussein with al-Qaeda.

An IRF team led by Col. Wade Dennis reportedly assaulted al-Janko, resulting in a broken knee that required surgical intervention. Despite suffering from kidney stones, he was denied medical care, which may have caused lasting kidney damage.

In 2007, al-Janko authored a suicide note revealing his profound despair over continued incarceration. His suicide attempt caused vertebral fractures and intense pain. It is reported that he tried to take his own life 17 times while detained.

Forced accusations against fellow detainees

During his Combatant Status Review Tribunal, Iraqi refugee Arkan Mohammad Ghafil Al Karim testified that following al-Janko’s capture and torture by the Taliban, al-Janko implicated him in a fabricated American espionage network. This accusation led to their joint detention by the Taliban and subsequently by U.S. forces.

Documentation shows that al-Janko’s coerced statements were utilized as evidence against 20 other detainees at Guantanamo.

Habeas corpus proceedings

A writ of habeas corpus, Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak Al Ginco v. Robert M. Gates, was filed on behalf of Al Ginco (al-Janko). The United States Department of Defense released unclassified files from Combatant Status Review Tribunals for 179 detainees.

On 16 June 2008, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear his mandamus petition.

Transfer to Belgium

During the Obama Administration, al-Janko was discreetly released to Belgium on either October 7 or 9, 2009, marking him as the third Guantanamo detainee transferred to that European country. Belgium requested that the U.S. keep al-Janko’s identity confidential upon release.

He currently resides in Antwerp under an assumed identity, receiving social welfare benefits as a recognized Belgian resident.

Legal action for damages

In October 2010, al-Janko initiated a lawsuit against former presidents George Bush and Barack Obama, accusing them of orchestrating and permitting his torture, which included sleep deprivation, harsh interrogations, and severe physical abuse. The complaint also stated that he attempted suicide 17 times during his detention at Guantanamo.

External links

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