Adel Abdulhehim
Adel Abdulhehim | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 10, 1974 Ghulja, Xinjiang, China |
| Other names | Adel Abdul Hakim |
| Occupation | Former detainee |
| Known for | Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay |
Adel Abdulhehim, also known as Adel Abdul Hakim, is a member of the Uighur ethnic minority and holds citizenship in the People's Republic of China. He was subjected to extrajudicial detention at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba. According to analysts from the Joint Task Force Guantanamo, his date of birth is October 10, 1974, and he originates from Ghulja in Xinjiang.
Apprehended in late 2001, Abdulhehim was held at Camp Delta. He is among the 38 detainees whose status was reviewed by the Combatant Status Review Tribunal, which concluded they were not classified as "illegal combatants."
He belongs to a group of roughly two dozen Uighur detainees.
The Associated Press reported that Abdulhehim, along with fellow detainee Abu Baker Qassim and eight others, was moved from the main compound of Camp Delta to a less restrictive area known as Camp Iguana.
An article published on February 18, 2006, in The Washington Times stated that Abu Bakr Qassim and A'Del Abdu al-Hakim underwent military training in Afghanistan. They were not designated as "illegal combatants" because their intent was to return to their homeland and apply their training against the Chinese government, which led to their release. Previous accounts had described them as economic refugees trying to reach Turkey.
Bounty
Both Hakim and Abu Bakker Qassim assert that they were handed over to US forces by individuals acting as bounty hunters.
Press reports
In January 2007, Abdulhehim conveyed to the BBC that the "Albanian people are very welcoming and there are many Muslim brothers here."
Nevertheless, during his time in Albania, Hakim was separated from his spouse and three children because Albanian authorities did not allow family reunification. In November 2007, he obtained a short-term visa for four days to visit Sweden, where he delivered a lecture on human rights in Stockholm. Since his sister resided in Sweden, he sought asylum there; however, his request for political asylum was rejected in June 2008.
On June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service published a series of articles based on interviews with 66 former detainees from Guantanamo Bay, including Adel Abdulhehim. The interview with Abdulhehim provides insight into his limited experience with "military training" at the Uyghur construction camp:
External links
- Judge Asks Status of Gitmo Detainees, South Georgia Online, August 25, 2005
- Judge Weighs Order to Release Two at Gitmo, Forbes, December 13, 2005
- Guantánamo’s Uyghurs: stranded in Albania Andy Worthington
- WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Former Guantánamo detainee seeks asylum in Sweden Andy Worthington
- Bad News And Good News For The Guantánamo Uighurs Andy Worthington