Hafiz Liaqat Manzoor
Hafiz Liaqat Manzoor | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pakistan |
| Occupation | Legal studies student |
| Known for | Former Guantanamo detainee |
Hafiz Liaqat Manzoor is a national of Pakistan who was subjected to extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay facility located in Cuba. He was assigned the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 139. His release and return to Pakistan occurred on November 11, 2003.
McClatchy News Service interview
On June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service released a series of reports featuring interviews with 66 individuals formerly held at Guantanamo. Among the three detainees highlighted was Hafiz Liaqat Manzoor.
At the time of this interview, Manzoor was pursuing legal studies. He recounted losing a finger during his time in Afghanistan and described his imprisonment under General Dostum in Sherberghan, where prisoners were confined inside overcrowded shipping containers. These conditions caused suffocation and deaths, especially when soldiers fired into the containers to create ventilation holes.
After spending approximately three weeks in Sherberghan, he was handed over to U.S. forces at the Kandahar detention center. There, he underwent a single interrogation before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay. He also observed instances of Koran desecration during his detention.
In his initial six months at Guantanamo, Manzoor experienced only one interrogation and acknowledged traveling to Afghanistan for jihadist purposes. However, interrogations recommenced after another detainee accused him of holding a senior Taliban leadership position.
Following his repatriation, Manzoor was held for an additional year in Pakistani custody. These experiences reinforced his belief in upholding the rule of law and inspired him to continue with his legal education: