Asim Thahit Abdullah al Khalaqi
Asim Thahit Abdullah Al Khalaqi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | 2015 Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan |
| Other names | Asim Thabit Al Khalaqi |
| Occupation | Detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
| Known for | Detained without formal charges at Guantanamo Bay; transferred to Kazakhstan; died of kidney failure |
Asim Thahit Abdullah Al Khalaqi (1968–2015), also referred to as Asim Thabit Al Khalaqi, was a Yemeni national detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. He was assigned the Internment Serial Number 152. U.S. intelligence analysts estimate his birth year as 1968 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On December 30, 2014, Khalaqi was relocated to Kazakhstan along with four other detainees because Yemen’s unstable political climate prevented their return. He passed away from chronic kidney failure 129 days following this transfer.
Official status reviews
After the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush announced that individuals captured in the "war on terror" were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions and could be indefinitely detained at Guantanamo Bay without formal charges or transparent legal proceedings. However, in 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Rasul v. Bush that detainees must be informed of the accusations against them and given an opportunity to challenge their detention.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
In response to the Supreme Court decision, the Department of Defense created the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants. For Khalaqi’s 2004 Combatant Status Review Tribunal, a Summary of Evidence memorandum was prepared on November 4, 2004.
In December 2008, researchers at the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, categorized Guantanamo detainees based on prevailing allegations:
- Khalaqi was listed among those neither approved for release nor transfer.
- The military claimed he had connections with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
- Allegations included his residence in Al Qaeda, Taliban, or other safehouses and receiving military or terrorist training in Afghanistan.
- The military asserted he engaged in combat on behalf of the Taliban.
- His identity or aliases appeared on materials confiscated during raids on Al Qaeda sites.
- He was classified as a foreign combatant.
- He asserted that his activities involved charitable work.
Khalaqi took part in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal, and the Department of Defense released a thirteen-page summarized transcript documenting the proceedings.
On July 12, 2006, Mother Jones published excerpts from detainee transcripts including Khalaqi’s. One exchange revealed his questioning of the tribunal’s evidence compared to the accusations, expressing doubt about the process while still engaging with the claims presented.
Habeas corpus submission
Khalaqi was included among sixteen Guantanamo detainees whose consolidated habeas corpus petitions were reviewed by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton on January 31, 2007.
Following this, on June 12, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Boumediene v. Bush that the Military Commissions Act could not deny Guantanamo detainees access to federal courts, thereby reinstating all previously filed habeas petitions. Subsequently, in July 2008, Civil Action No. 05-CV-999 was reactivated exclusively for Asim Ben Thabit Al-Khalaqi.
Previously classified Joint Task Force Guantanamo evaluation
On April 25, 2011, WikiLeaks released once-confidential documents containing assessments by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo. Among these was a nine-page report dated January 1, 2007, endorsed by camp commander Harry B. Harris Jr., which recommended ongoing detention and designated Khalaqi as a "medium risk" individual.
Joint Review Task Force
After assuming office in January 2009, President Barack Obama committed to ending torture practices at Guantanamo and creating a revamped detainee review mechanism. This new procedure differed from the earlier one, which was exclusively overseen by the Department of Defense, by incorporating representatives from six different departments. Following a year of review, the Joint Review Task Force classified detainees into categories: those suitable for prosecution, those eligible for release, and those deemed too dangerous to transfer despite insufficient evidence for charges. The Task Force recommended the release of 55 detainees, among them Khalaqi.
Relocation to Kazakhstan
On December 31, 2014, Khalaqi was transferred to Kazakhstan along with four other former Guantanamo prisoners, marking the inaugural transfer to that nation. Accompanying him were fellow Yemenis Muhammad Ali Husayn Khanayna and Sabri Mohammad al Qurashi, as well as Tunisians Adel Al-Hakeemy and Lotfi Bin Ali. While his 2007 JTF-GTMO report classified him as "medium risk", by 2009 the Joint Review Task Force had downgraded all five individuals to "low risk". The consensus among involved agencies was unanimous in favor of their release.
Khalaqi refuted claims made by John Walker Lindh regarding involvement with al Qaeda. Nevertheless, according to Vice News, their liberties remained constrained; Kazakhstan’s security personnel conducted frequent inspections of their residences, initially nearly every day. Lotfi Bin Ali likened these conditions to those experienced at Guantanamo.
In partnership with Kazakhstan authorities, the local International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offers support to the former detainees including medical care, food allowances, language instruction, and transportation assistance.
Passing in Kazakhstan
On May 7, 2015, Khalaqi was discovered deceased in his modest apartment located in Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan. Lotfi Bin Ali recalled Khalaqi’s prior medical incidents during detention at Guantanamo, which included multiple coma episodes requiring immediate attention. Although initial concerns suggested possible food poisoning, an autopsy excluded this and identified kidney failure combined with a severe lung infection as the causes of death.
A recently relocated acquaintance in Uruguay indicated that declining health often leads to early release from U.S. military custody. Guantanamo spokesperson Captain Tom Gresback emphasized that all detainees undergo comprehensive health evaluations prior to transfer and would not be moved if deemed unfit. Notably, Khalaqi’s 2007 assessment described his condition as being in "good health".
External links
- Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Three: Captured Crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan Andy Worthington, September 22, 2010