Adel al-Gazzar
Adel Fattough Ali Al Gazzar | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 22, 1965 Cairo, Egypt |
| Occupation | Former detainee |
| Known for | Detention at Guantanamo Bay |
Adel Fattough Ali Al Gazzar (Arabic: عادل الجزار) is an Egyptian national who was previously held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center operated by the United States in Cuba. According to the Department of Defense, he was born on October 22, 1965, in Cairo, Egypt.
After spending close to eight years at Guantanamo, he was relocated to Slovakia in January 2010. In June of that year, he initiated a hunger strike to protest the conditions of his confinement there.
Background
It has been reported that Gazzar worked for the Saudi Red Crescent and sustained injuries during his only trip to Afghanistan while delivering humanitarian assistance. Despite visits from supportive Pakistani officials during his hospitalization, he was allegedly wrongfully accused and sold to U.S. forces in exchange for a bounty.
Initially detained at a U.S. facility in Kandahar, his attorneys claim he suffered harsh physical abuse, exposure to extreme cold, extended periods without sleep, and suspension by his wrists. He also endured injuries caused by American airstrikes in Afghanistan and later underwent an above-the-knee leg amputation at Guantanamo due to gangrene resulting from insufficient medical treatment.
He was charged with involvement in training and combat activities in Kashmir.
Adel Fattough Ali Algazzar v. George W. Bush
A writ of habeas corpus titled Adel Fattough Ali Algazzar v. George W. Bush was submitted on his behalf. Subsequently, the Department of Defense disclosed 37 pages of declassified documents pertaining to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. On October 29, 2004, Tribunal panel number 15 upheld his designation as an "enemy combatant."
Press reports
On July 12, 2006, Mother Jones released excerpts from transcripts of Guantanamo detainees’ hearings, including that of Al Gazzar. His transcript contained the following dialogue:
algazzar: I am frustrated because if I am accused, I should be informed of the charges and shown the evidence. You mention some accusations are classified; how can I defend myself without access to that evidence?...
tribunal member: The classified session holds evidence supporting these charges; no additional accusations exist.
algazzar: I understand, but if you declare me an enemy combatant based on evidence, I do not see it and therefore remain detained….
tribunal member: Do you have any ideas why both the government and Pakistani intelligence handed you over to American forces?
algazzar: In Pakistan, people can be bought for $10. What about $5,000?
tribunal member: So they sold you?
algazzar: Yes.
David Frum, who served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and coined the phrase "Axis of evil," reviewed Combatant Status Review Tribunal transcripts in an article dated November 11, 2006. He summarized Al Gazzar’s case as that of a former Egyptian military officer who admitted receiving training at a Lashkar-i-Taiba camp but claimed he ceased involvement after learning from BBC reports in early 2001 that the group was labeled terrorist. He stated that he survived in Afghanistan relying on support from fellow Muslims.
Frum concluded that all nine detainees whose cases he examined had apparently fabricated their accounts but did not provide detailed justification for this assertion. He ended with a critique of Western societies’ susceptibility to terrorist falsehoods:
External links
- Interview with former Guantanamo detainee Adel el-Gazzar conducted by Moazzam Begg in Slovakia
- Former Guantánamo Inmate Adel Al-Gazzar Arrested Upon Return to Egypt June 14, 2011
- Egyptian Detained at Tora Prison After Eight Years in Guantanamo
- Hunger Strike Initiated by Three Overlooked Former Guantánamo Prisoners in Slovakia Andy Worthington, June 27, 2010
- Refugees from Guantánamo Andy Worthington