Isa Ali Abdullah al Murbati
Issa Ali Abdullah al Murbati | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 Manama, Bahrain |
| Known for | Former detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Issa Ali Abdullah al Murbati is a national of Bahrain who underwent extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay facility located in Cuba. His detainee identification number at Guantanamo was 52. U.S. counter-terrorism officials estimate his year of birth as 1965, with Manama, Bahrain, as his place of origin.
Detention in Kandahar
During his confinement at Kandahar Airfield, al-Murbati engaged in chess matches alongside fellow detainee Moazzam Begg, utilizing a chess set provided by the International Red Cross. Additionally, al-Murbati took part in the hunger strikes that occurred at Guantanamo in 2005.
Allegations
The Summary of Evidence memo prepared for his Combatant Status Review Tribunal asserted that al-Murbati maintained connections with Al Qaeda. It claimed he voluntarily traveled from Bahrain to Afghanistan through Pakistan in 2001 with intentions to participate in jihad. He was reportedly associated with Abu Sayyef, a terrorist organization based in the Philippines, and allegedly discussed financing Arab fighters in Afghanistan. Further accusations included involvement in hostile operations against U.S. forces, sustaining injuries from a grenade while en route to Khowst, and seeking weapons training in Kabul after discovering none was accessible in Kandahar.
Habeas corpus submission
On January 31, 2007, al-Murbati was included among sixteen detainees whose collective habeas corpus petitions were examined by U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton. Legal representation was provided by attorneys Joshua Colangelo-Bryan and Clive Stafford Smith. Meanwhile, Bahraini Member of Parliament Mohammed Khalid spearheaded efforts advocating for al-Murbati’s release.
Release
Al-Murbati was freed in August 2007, marking him as the final Bahraini detainee to be released from Guantanamo. On August 23, 2007, the Gulf Daily News reported that MP Mohammed Khalid called upon the Bahraini government to offer financial restitution to those who had been detained and subsequently released.
See also
- Solitary confinement
- Juma Mohammed Al Dossary
- Salah Abdul Rasool Al Blooshi
- Adel Kamel Hajee
- Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Mohamed Ali Al Khalifa
- Abdulla Majid Al Naimi
References
External links
- Isa al-Murbati, the last Bahraini in Guantánamo, returns home Andy Worthington
- Bushehri, Shereen Bahrain Urged to Stand Up for Rights of Citizens in Guantanamo Arab News, February 6, 2005
- Forced feeding at Guantanamo is now acknowledged, New York Times, February 22, 2006