Adel al Zamel
Adel al Zamel | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 23, 1963 Kuwait City, Kuwait |
| Occupation | Former detainee |
| Known for | Detained at Guantanamo Bay without formal charges; acquitted in Kuwaiti court |
Adel al Zamel (عادل عبد المحسن الزميل) is a Kuwaiti national who was detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.
According to counter-terrorism officials from Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Al Zamel was born on August 23, 1963, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. He was apprehended in Pakistan in February 2002 and later returned to Kuwait on November 2, 2005.
Al Odah v. United States
Al Zamel was one of eleven detainees referenced in the July 2008 "Petitioners' Status Report" submitted by attorney David J. Cynamon in the case Al Odah v. United States. This filing represented the four remaining Kuwaiti individuals held at Guantanamo and contested the fact that none had been approved for release despite the completion of factual returns that contained redacted information.
On June 12, 2008, the Supreme Court delivered a ruling invalidating the Military Commissions Act of 2006.
Repatriation and Acquittal
On November 4, 2005, Al Zamel was among five Kuwaiti nationals repatriated to custody in Kuwait. These five individuals faced trial in Kuwait and were ultimately found not guilty.
According to The Washington Post, the primary accusations involved financing Al Wafa, an Afghan charity associated with Al Qaeda, and participating in combat alongside the Taliban. The defense contended that testimonies obtained at Guantanamo were inadmissible in Kuwaiti courts because neither detainees nor interrogators had endorsed them.
Al Zamel’s trial commenced in March 2006 and concluded with his acquittal on July 22, 2006.
McClatchy interview
On June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service released interviews with 66 former detainees from Guantanamo, including Adel al Zamel.
In his interview with McClatchy, Al Zamel stated he had been employed by the Kuwait housing authority until 2000 before relocating to Afghanistan to work for the al Wafa charity. There, he was responsible for distributing food and overseeing minor infrastructure projects. He denied any activities beyond humanitarian efforts.
He recounted severe mistreatment upon arrival at Guantanamo, including being confined alone in a small metal enclosure without toilet facilities for an entire month after denying any association with Osama bin Laden. He described:
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In 2005, interrogators threatened to transfer him to a country known for torture to subject him to more brutal treatment. Eventually, under duress, Al Zamel confessed:
I told them, 'I am Osama bin Laden. Please kill me. I just wanted it to end.'
The McClatchy article also highlighted that Al Zamel and others received one-year prison sentences related to an incident involving an assault on a woman perceived as publicly displaying affection toward her boyfriend.