Abdul Al Salam Al Hilal
Abd al-Salam al-Hilah | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 30, 1968 Sanaa, Yemen |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Abd al-Salam al-Hilah is a Yemeni national who was subjected to extrajudicial detention by the United States at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba. According to records maintained by the United States Department of Defense, his date of birth is January 30, 1968, and he was born in Sanaa, Yemen.
CIA Detention
Al-Hilah was apprehended in Cairo on September 19, 2002, during a business-related visit. John Sifton from Human Rights Watch reported that he vanished for a period of eighteen months before reappearing in U.S. custody at the naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Medical documentation dated March 16, 2007, notes his "in process date" at Guantanamo as September 20, 2004.
Since his arrival, he has been among roughly 200 detainees for whom habeas corpus petitions have been submitted. In conversations disclosed by his attorney, al-Hilah revealed that following his capture, he was detained for two months in Baku, Azerbaijan, and subsequently held for sixteen months in undisclosed locations within Afghanistan, including a facility known as the "dark prison."
Official Status Reviews
During the Bush administration, it was initially maintained that individuals captured in the "war on terror" were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions and could be detained indefinitely without formal charges or transparent judicial review. However, in 2004, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rasul v. Bush that detainees at Guantanamo have the right to be informed of the accusations against them and to contest their detention.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
In response to the Supreme Court decision, the United States Department of Defense created the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants.
In December 2008, researchers from the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, categorized Guantanamo detainees based on allegations supporting their detention:
- Abd al-Salam al-Hilah was identified as a member of Al Qaeda.
- He was also designated as an operative affiliated with Al Qaeda.
Habeas Corpus Petition
Abdulsalam Ali Abdulrahman Al Hela submitted a habeas corpus petition challenging his detention under George W. Bush’s administration.
Joint Review Task Force
On January 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed three Executive orders concerning Guantanamo detainees. Unlike previous evaluations conducted solely by the Department of Defense, this new process included representatives from six government departments. One year later, the Joint Review Task Force categorized certain detainees as too dangerous to be released despite insufficient evidence to file formal charges.
Following a FOIA request, the task force’s report was made public on April 9, 2013. Among the 71 detainees considered too risky to release but not enough evidence to prosecute was Abd al-Salam al-Hilah. President Obama announced that these individuals would be subject to ongoing assessments by a Periodic Review Board.
Periodic Review Board
The inaugural review session took place on November 20, 2013. On June 8, 2021, al-Hilah received approval for transfer.
Hunger strike
Al-Hilah took part in a hunger strike at Guantanamo Bay, which resulted in a significant decline in his physical condition.
Children's death
On April 23, 2009, reports from Yemeni media revealed that two of Al-Hilah's four children lost their lives due to a hand grenade explosion at their residence. The boys, aged nine and eleven, were fatally injured while handling the grenade during play. In 2008, detainees who complied with camp regulations were permitted an annual phone call home; tragically, Al-Hilah’s sons passed away only two days after he made his call.
His sister voiced profound disappointment regarding the prolonged delays in his repatriation, emphasizing the heavy impact on their family: "His mother has passed away, his father is gone, his two sons have died, and now his uncle has also died. Are they waiting for all of us to be gone before they allow him to return home?"
Assassination fears
According to Saba News on August 1, 2009, following the death of his sons, Al-Hilah confided in his family about fears of being assassinated while detained at Guantanamo. He cautioned them not to trust any reports suggesting he had committed suicide if he were to die there. Later, on May 17, 2010, Saba News disclosed that Al-Hilah’s family had received a letter in which he alleged that camp officials were planning another assassination attempt.
Release
On January 6, 2025, Al-Hilah was among eleven detainees transferred to Oman as part of their release from Guantanamo Bay.