Adnan Farhan Abd Al Latif
Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 Yemen |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day Guantánamo Bay detention camp, Cuba |
| Other names | Allal Ab Aljallil Abd al Rahman |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Detention at Guantánamo Bay; legal battles for release; death in custody |
Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif (1981 – September 8, 2012), also identified as Allal Ab Aljallil Abd al Rahman, was a citizen of Yemen held at the U.S. military detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 until his death there, which was officially classified as suicide.
Capture and Detention
Marjorie Cohn reported that Latif endured serious head trauma from a car accident in 1994, leading to persistent neurological complications. Latif claimed he traveled from Yemen to Pakistan in August 2001 seeking medical care, whereas U.S. authorities contended he went to obtain military training from al Qaeda-linked groups. He was apprehended in December 2001 near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border during a large-scale operation targeting Arabs and was subsequently transferred to Guantanamo in January 2002.
Judicial and Quasi-Judicial Proceedings
Initially, Latif and other detainees at Guantanamo were prevented from submitting habeas corpus petitions due to President George W. Bush's stance that "war on terror" detainees were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions, permitting indefinite detention without formal charges or transparent review. However, in June 2004, the United States Supreme Court decided in Rasul v. Bush that detainees possessed fundamental habeas rights to contest their imprisonment.
In 2004, Latif’s legal representatives, Marc D. Falkoff and David Remes, filed a habeas petition on his behalf. Following the Rasul decision, the United States Department of Defense introduced Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRT) in July 2004. The Brookings Institution documented accusations against Latif including allegations that he was affiliated with al Qaeda, received military or terrorist training in Afghanistan, fought alongside the Taliban, had his name discovered on materials seized during al Qaeda raids, and served on Osama bin Laden’s security detail. CSRT hearings took place annually from 2004 through 2007, with records indicating Latif’s attendance at some sessions.
In late 2005, habeas rights were restricted by the enactment of the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 and the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which replaced them with limited "DTA appeal" reviews. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court reinstated habeas corpus access in June 2008.
In July 2010, District Court Judge Henry Kennedy ordered Latif’s release, ruling that the government had failed to demonstrate his involvement with al Qaeda or associated forces. His lawyer highlighted that Latif sought medical treatment in Afghanistan due to poverty and mental health challenges. The government appealed this decision, and in October 2011 a three-judge panel of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling by a divided vote favoring government claims. The Supreme Court declined to hear further appeals on this matter.
Life at Guantanamo
Latif and fellow detainees described harsh treatment to attorney Falkoff during the first visit by U.S. lawyers in November 2004: extended isolation periods, stress positions, sleep deprivation, loud music exposure, and extreme temperature conditions during interrogations. Latif detailed an event where an "Immediate Reaction Force" team forcibly removed him from his cell after he stepped over a painted boundary line, employing pepper spray and physical force.
He was frequently involved in hunger strikes and characterized force-feeding procedures as comparable to "having a dagger shoved down your throat." Reports noted incidents of self-injury and erratic conduct such as smearing feces and confinement in an "anti-suicide smock."
In 2008, attorney Remes submitted an emergency motion citing seizures and inadequate medical attention; requests for medical records along with basic items like a pillow and blanket were denied. Falkoff recalled efforts to secure fundamental care after encountering Latif severely weakened and emaciated.
By 2009, Latif communicated further abuse through letters; Remes observed visible evidence of both physical and psychological mistreatment. According to the Associated Press, Latif had cut his wrists during a visit using broken veneer shards while concealing the wounds from cameras. He had prior suicide attempts and was intermittently placed in psychiatric isolation; Remes stressed his urgent need for mental health services which authorities failed to provide.
A letter sent by Latif in 2012 to Remes disclosed that guards had deliberately introduced contraband such as scissors into his cell, implying intentional endangerment. Camp officials twice pressured Latif to dismiss Remes; on one occasion he was administered an unidentified injection before meeting with a military attorney. Latif expressed fears that officials intended to cause his death without accountability.
Release Approvals
On April 25, 2011, the whistleblower group WikiLeaks disclosed confidential evaluations prepared by analysts from the Joint Task Force Guantanamo. Among these was a nine-page report concerning Latif, dated January 17, 2008, and endorsed by camp commander Mark Buzby, which recommended his transfer from Department of Defense custody. Historian Andy Worthington, who authored The Guantanamo Files, observed that this 2008 report echoed prior recommendations advocating for Latif's release.
Latif had previously received clearance for release during President Bush’s administration (December 2006), from US District Court Judge Henry Kennedy, as well as from the Guantánamo Review Task Force initiated by President Barack Obama in 2009. Nevertheless, despite these approvals, Latif remained in detention.
Passing
Adnan Latif passed away at Guantanamo on September 10, 2012, after enduring nearly eleven years of imprisonment since his arrival on January 17, 2002. Initially, camp officials announced the death of a detainee within the punishment cells of Camp Five without disclosing the individual's identity or the cause. The following day, they identified the deceased as Latif, with a military autopsy attributing the cause to suicide. A comprehensive report from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was anticipated in 2013.
Before Latif was publicly named, attorney Wells Dixon—who represented several detainees in habeas corpus cases—emphasized the despair among prisoners linked to recent unfavorable court rulings.
Further reading
- "A death at Gitmo" – An op-ed by Marc Falkoff in the Los Angeles Times discussing Adnan Latif’s situation and advocating for Guantanamo’s closure.
- Statement from attorneys representing Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, dated September 11, 2012.
- "The death of Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif."
See also
External links
- Another Desperate Letter from Guantánamo by Adnan Latif: "With All My Pains, I Say Goodbye to You" – Andy Worthington
- A Cry for Help from Guantánamo: Adnan Latif Asks, "Who Is Going to Rescue Me From the Injustice and the Torture I Am Enduring?" – Andy Worthington
- Guantánamo Is "A Piece of Hell That Kills Everything": A Bleak New Year Message from Yemeni Prisoner Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif – Andy Worthington
- Amnesty International's call for Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif’s release
- Poems from Guantanamo
- Yemeni Gitmo detainees persist with hunger strike despite force-feeding – Yemen Times, January 15, 2009
- Court Case Illustrates Gitmo's Failure – Human Rights Watch
- Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Three: Captured Crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan – Andy Worthington, September 22, 2010