Khaled Ben Mustafa
Khaled Ben Mustafa | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 9, 1972 Lyon, France |
| Occupation | Former detainee |
| Known for | Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay |
Khaled Ben Mustafa is a French national who underwent extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility located in Cuba. According to Department of Defense documentation, he was born on January 9, 1972, in Lyon, France. His assigned Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 236.
After an initial conviction in France, his verdict was subsequently annulled, resulting in his release in February 2009. On February 17, 2010, the Court of Cassation mandated a retrial for Ben Mustafa along with four other individuals. On January 18, 2012, Sophie Clement, the magistrate overseeing his investigation, requested authorization from US authorities to visit Guantanamo to examine allegations of torture raised by Ben Mustafa and other detainees.
Official status reviews
A Summary of Evidence document prepared for his tribunal outlined the accusations against him as follows:
Previously classified Joint Task Force Guantanamo evaluation
On April 25, 2011, WikiLeaks disclosed confidential assessments conducted by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo. Ben Mustafa’s three-page evaluation recommended his transfer to another nation. This assessment was endorsed by camp commander Jay W. Hood.
Remarks on the simultaneous deaths of three detainees on June 10, 2006
On June 23, 2006, Mustafa offered commentary regarding the deaths of detainees Mana Shaman Allabardi al Tabi, Yasser Talal al Zahrani, and Ali Abdullah Ahmed at Guantanamo. Having been acquainted with all three men, Mustafa pointed out that Yasser had invited him to visit Saudi Arabia after their release, implying that Yasser’s death was unlikely to have been suicide. He further noted that all three detainees had committed the entire Koran to memory.
French judicial proceedings
In 2007, Khaled Ben Mustafa along with four other French nationals were convicted on charges of "criminal association with a terrorist enterprise." These convictions were overturned on appeal in February 2009 due to reliance on interrogations performed by French security personnel at Guantanamo rather than by judicial authorities.
Nonetheless, on February 17, 2010, the Court of Cassation reinstated charges against the six individuals. In January 2011, defense attorneys for Mustafa referenced diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks, which alleged inappropriate collaboration between French and American officials.
On January 18, 2012, Chief Investigating Magistrate Sophie Clement sought permission to access Guantanamo to investigate torture claims and review internal documentation concerning the men involved. As reported by the Associated Press, Mustafa’s counsel Philippe Meilhac characterized this request as "unprecedented" yet fitting for substantiating the allegations.