Khalid Mohammed Salih Al Dhuby
Khalid Mohammed Salih Al Dhuby | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 Ta'if, Saudi Arabia |
| Nationality | Yemeni |
| Known for | Former detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Khalid Mohammed Salih Al Dhuby is a Yemeni national who spent almost fourteen years detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba. His Guantanamo Internee Security Number was 506. U.S. intelligence officials estimate his birth year as 1981 in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia.
In 2006, recommendations were made for his release. On January 7, 2016, he was relocated to Ghana along with another Yemeni detainee, Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef. They became the inaugural detainees transferred to a sub-Saharan African nation where they held no citizenship.
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 review.
The 2004 decision by the United States Supreme Court in Rasul v. Bush mandated that detainees at Guantanamo be informed of the accusations against them and be given a chance to challenge their detention. This led to the creation of Combatant Status Review Tribunals; however, these proceedings were criticized for lacking impartiality and denying detainees legal counsel.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
In response to the Supreme Court's ruling, the United States Department of Defense formed the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants.
By December 2008, researchers at the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, classified Guantanamo detainees according to prevalent military allegations:
- Khalid Mohammed Salih Al Dhuby was accused of affiliations with both Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
- He was alleged to have traveled to Afghanistan with intent to participate in jihad.
- Reports indicated he underwent military or terrorist training within Afghanistan.
- He was present at Tora Bora.
- Classified as a foreign combatant.
- Among 82 detainees who either remained silent or provided statements that did not meaningfully address military accusations during CSRT or ARB hearings.
Previously undisclosed Joint Task Force Guantanamo evaluation
On April 25, 2011, the whistleblower group WikiLeaks released confidential evaluations prepared by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo. His 9-page assessment, dated December 25, 2006, was signed by camp commander Rear Admiral Harry B Harris Jr and recommended his transfer to another country.
Transfer to Ghana
On January 7, 2016, Al Dhuby and Mohammed Bin Atef were moved to Ghana. This relocation generated debate within Ghanaian society. The government of Ghana assured U.S. authorities that it would restrict their departure from Ghana for a period of two years.