Jon Mohammad Barakzai
Jon Mohammad Barakzai | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Afghan |
| Known for | Former detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Jon Mohammad Barakzai is an Afghan individual who was formerly detained at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba. He was returned to his home country in October 2002 alongside three elderly men—comprising two Afghans and one Pakistani. These men reported being restrained with chains for extended periods during their interrogations.
Mohammed claimed that he was compelled to join the Taliban forces under threat of violence. Various accounts have identified him and the three other released detainees as among the earliest individuals freed from Guantanamo.
He identified prominent Taliban members held in custody, including former ambassador Abdul Salam Zaeef, and remarked that detainees were always shackled whenever taken out of their cells. During detention, Mohammed’s group had no contact with their families; he only received a letter from his relatives three days prior to his release.
The McClatchy interview
After an extended legal struggle, the United States Department of Defense complied with a court order issued by US District Court Judge Jed Rakoff mandating the disclosure of all Guantanamo detainees’ names. Nevertheless, the name "Jan Mohammed" did not appear on the published roster.
On June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service released interviews with 66 former Guantanamo inmates, identifying Jan Mohammed as detainee number 107, recorded as "Jon Mohammad Barakzai".[1][2]
Mohammed recounted being transferred to Sherberghan prison under the authority of General Dostum, where prisoners endured harsh mistreatment and deaths resulting from negligence and violence inflicted by Dostum’s troops.[2]
He also spoke of maltreatment during Afghan custody before being handed over to US forces.[2] Upon his return to Afghanistan, Mohammed was forced to move due to local Taliban sympathizers suspecting that his early release implied cooperation with American authorities.