Ahmad Tourson
Ahmad Tourson | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 26, 1971 Xinjiang Province, China |
| Other names | Ahmad Abdulahad |
| Known for | Former detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Ahmad Tourson, also known as Ahmad Abdulahad, is a Uyghur refugee who endured unlawful confinement for more than seven years at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility, despite early indications of his innocence. According to records from the US Department of Defense, he was born on January 26, 1971, in Xinjiang Province, China, and was designated Internment Serial Number 201. Tourson is one of approximately two dozen Uyghur detainees held at Guantanamo.
In 2008, he successfully challenged his detention through a habeas corpus petition when Judge Ricardo Urbina declared his imprisonment illegal and ordered his release within the United States. Nevertheless, in October 2009, he was relocated to Palau.
Combatant Status Review
Tourson took part in the Combatant Status Review Tribunal process, which involved nearly 60% of all detainees. A Summary of Evidence document prepared for his tribunal detailed allegations against him, including:
Ahmad Tourson v. George W. Bush
A writ of habeas corpus, titled Ahmad Tourson v. George W. Bush, was filed on his behalf. On January 4, 2007, the Department of Defense published 29 pages of declassified materials related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
His classification as an enemy combatant was affirmed by Tribunal panel 7 on November 5, 2004, which stated:
Administrative Review Board hearing
Detainees confirmed as "enemy combatants" underwent yearly Administrative Review Board hearings designed to evaluate whether continued detention was warranted or if repatriation or release was appropriate. These hearings did not reconsider prisoners’ initial enemy combatant designations or prisoner of war status.
Summary of Evidence memo
A Summary of Evidence memo for Ahmad Tourson’s Administrative Review Board hearing was prepared on August 11, 2005. It outlined both reasons supporting ongoing detention and factors advocating for release or transfer.
Key factors supporting continued detention:
Key factor supporting release or transfer:
Status from 2005 to 2008
In 2006, five Uyghur detainees who had been cleared by CSR Tribunals as non-enemy combatants were transferred to a refugee camp in Albania. Another Uyghur individual located in Saudi Arabia was repatriated there, while the rest of the Uyghurs remained detained at Guantanamo.
In September 2007, the Department of Defense made public all Summary of Evidence memoranda from the 2006 Administrative Review Boards (ARBs). Although one detainee’s status was reviewed in 2005, no such review took place in 2006.
Additionally, the DoD released recommendation memos from 133 ARBs conducted in 2005 and 55 in 2006; however, no such documents were issued for Ahmad Tourson.
On June 12, 2008, the United States Supreme Court reinstated Guantanamo detainees’ right to access civilian courts in the case Boumediene v. Bush, thereby reviving their habeas corpus claims. Separately, Huzaifa Parhat’s Detainee Treatment Act appeal determined that there was insufficient evidence to uphold his "enemy combatant" status. The Department of Justice retained the option to appeal with additional proof. The habeas petitions filed by the Uyghurs were given priority for judicial review.
By September 2008, just prior to when the DOJ was expected to substantiate the Uyghurs’ detention after more than six years without formal charges, it conceded that no evidence existed to justify their continued imprisonment.
Temporary Refuge Offered by Palau
In June 2009, the Palauan government extended temporary refuge to several Uyghur detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay. A delegation from Palau conducted interviews with the detainees; asylum was granted to twelve out of thirteen individuals, with one excluded due to a serious mental health condition.
On October 31, 2009, six Uyghurs—Ahmad Tourson, Abdul Ghappar Abdul Rahman, Edham Mamet, Anwar Hassan, Dawut Abdurehim, and Adel Noori—were relocated to Palau.
By mid-2015, all the Uyghurs had quietly departed from Palau. According to The Globe and Mail, the arrangement included confidential financial support from the United States, providing approximately $93,333 per individual for living costs. Former President Johnson Toribiong faced criticism amid reports that the Uyghurs were accommodated in properties owned by his family members.
The group encountered significant challenges in adapting both culturally and economically. Their efforts to secure conventional employment and engage in traditional leather craftsmanship were unsuccessful; eventually, they found work as night-time security personnel, maintaining minimal contact with the local population. Tragically, one man’s child born in Palau died following a fall. Their exits were discreetly organized in coordination with U.S. officials, with their subsequent locations kept confidential by Palauan authorities.
External links
- From Guantánamo to the United States: The Story of the Wrongly Imprisoned Uighurs Andy Worthington October 9, 2008
- Judge Ricardo Urbina's unclassified opinion (redacted version)
- MOTIONS/STATUS HEARING - UIGHURS CASES BEFORE THE HONORABLE RICARDO M. URBINA
- Relief funds help Guantanamo Uighur move forward Amnesty International USA
- Ahmad Abdulahad The Center for Constitutional Rights
- STRANDED IN PARADISE Turkistan Australian Association
- Palau urges Australia to allow permanent resettlement for six Uighurs Radio Australia June 3, 2010
- Palau Uyghurs try to build new lives Kyodo News December 15, 2009
- Human Rights First; Habeas Works: Federal Courts' Proven Capacity to Handle Guantánamo Cases (2010)