Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman
Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 Jeddah, Saudi Arabia |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Detained at Guantanamo Bay detention camp without formal charges; transferred to Italy in 2016 |
Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman is a Yemeni national who was detained without formal charges at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba for a period exceeding 14 years. On July 10, 2016, he was relocated to Italy as part of a resettlement program. U.S. intelligence agencies estimate his year of birth to be 1974, with his place of birth recorded as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Official status reviews
Under the administration of President Bush, individuals captured during the "war on terror" were designated as outside the scope of the Geneva Conventions, permitting their indefinite detention without formal charges or transparent judicial oversight.
In 2004, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision in Rasul v. Bush mandating that detainees held at Guantanamo must be notified of the allegations against them and granted the right to contest their imprisonment.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
In response to this ruling, the Department of Defense created the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants to perform status assessments. These evaluations, referred to as Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs), faced criticism due to their limited procedural fairness and reliance on evidence obtained under duress.
A 2008 analysis conducted by the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, classified detainees according to military accusations. Fayiz Ahmad Yahia Suleiman was listed as:
- Linked with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban
- Having undergone military or terrorist training within Afghanistan
- Present at the battle site of Tora Bora
- Identified in documents recovered from Al Qaeda safehouses
- Designated as an al Qaeda operative
- Among 82 detainees who either remained silent or whose statements failed to substantially address the military allegations leveled against them
Formerly secret Joint Task Force Guantanamo assessment
On April 25, 2011, previously confidential evaluations prepared by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo were released by whistleblower group WikiLeaks.
Transfer to Italy
On July 10, 2016, Suleiman was relocated to Italy. Since 2009, no detainees have been returned to Yemen due to ongoing security concerns.
In an article for the Miami Herald, journalist Carol Rosenberg cited Suleiman’s legal representative, Jon Sands, who revealed that Suleiman had not met with any attorney throughout his entire detention at Guantanamo.
External links
- Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Three: Captured Crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan Andy Worthington, September 22, 2010