Lahcen Ikassrien
Lahcen Ikassrien | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 2, 1972 Targuist, Morocco |
| Occupation | Former detainee |
| Known for | Detained at Guantanamo Bay without formal charges; convicted in Spain for recruiting fighters to Syria |
Lahcen Ikassrien is a Moroccan national who was detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facilities located in Cuba. His assigned Guantanamo Internment Serial Number (ISN) was 72. According to the Department of Defense, he was born on October 2, 1972, in Targuist, Morocco.
Ikassrien was apprehended in Madrid on June 16, 2014, facing accusations related to jihadism. On September 30, 2016, he received a decade-long prison sentence following his conviction for recruiting fighters to participate in the Syrian conflict. He reported experiencing torture during his time at Guantanamo, and a Spanish judicial inquiry subsequently verified that abusive interrogation methods had been employed.
Background
Upon initial capture, authorities erroneously identified Ikassrien as Reswan A. Abdesalam; however, fingerprint analysis later confirmed his true identity. He was suspected of having connections to Imad Eddin Barakat Yarkas, a prominent individual implicated in orchestrating the 2004 Madrid bombings.
Ikassrien was extradited to Spain on July 18, 2005, to face trial proceedings. The International Herald Tribune noted his acquittal on October 11, 2006.
Official status reviews
During the administration of President George W. Bush, individuals detained as part of the "war on terror" were designated as outside the protections of the Geneva Conventions and could be held indefinitely without formal charges or transparent judicial review. In 2004, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Rasul v. Bush mandated that Guantanamo detainees be informed of the accusations against them and be given an opportunity to contest their detention.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
Following this ruling, the United States Department of Defense established the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants to oversee detainee status assessments.
Combatant status review
Initially, the Bush administration asserted it could deny detainees captured during the war on terror protections under the Geneva Conventions. This approach faced legal challenges advocating that detainees should undergo competent tribunals to determine if they qualified as prisoner of wars.
In response to these challenges, the Department of Defense implemented Combatant Status Review Tribunals. These tribunals were limited in scope and authorized solely to verify whether detainees met the administration’s criteria for being labeled an enemy combatant, without deciding lawful combatant status.
Allegations
The Tribunal was presented with specific allegations against Ikassrien.
Transcript
No documentation exists indicating that Lahcen Ikassrien took part in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
Torture
On November 19, 2006, El País published reports detailing Ikassrien’s claims of repeated torture while held at the Kandahar. He described being subjected to attacks by aggressive dogs, physical restraints, and confinement inside a cage where soldiers reportedly doused him with feces and urine while referring to him as "Animal No. 64".
Torture claims investigation
On April 29, 2009, Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon initiated a formal inquiry into whether confessions from Ikassrien and three other former Guantanamo detainees were extracted through abusive interrogation practices. The other individuals involved were Hamed Abderrahman Ahmed, Jamiel Abdul Latif al Banna, and Omar Deghayes. These men had faced legal proceedings in Spain based on statements obtained while in U.S. custody; however, charges were ultimately dismissed following allegations that such confessions were procured under duress and mistreatment.
See also
References
External links
- The Case of Lahcen Ikassrien: Torture in Kandahar and Guantánamo Andy Worthington
- Animal Number 64 El País – November 20, 2006 (English translation by the Center for the Study of Human Rights in the Americas)
- The Guantánamo Files: Website Extras (1) – The Qala-i-Janghi Massacre Andy Worthington
- ↑ Margot Williams (2008-11-03). "Guantanamo Docket: Laacin Ikassrin". New York Times. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
- ↑ "Former Guantanamo detainee sentenced by Spanish court". Fox News. 2016-09-30. Archived from the original on 2016-09-29. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
Lahcen Ikassrien, a Moroccan aged 48, received a decade-long sentence for heading a terrorist group and an additional 18 months for document forgery.
- ↑
ÁNGELES ESCRIVÁ (2014-06-16). "La Policía detiene a nueve personas en Madrid en una operación contra una red que captaba yihadistas" [Police arrest nine individuals in Madrid during operation targeting jihadist recruitment network]. Elmundo (in español). Archived from the original on 2014-06-16. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
The cell's primary leader had been residing in Spain following detention at Guantánamo; he was apprehended in Afghanistan in 2001. This individual, Lahcen Ikassriem, was extradited to Spain in 2005 and later acquitted by the Supreme Court.
- ↑
Josh White (2005-07-21). "Three Guantanamo detainees released after review board finds no threat to U.S." Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-09-30.
A U.S. military Administrative Review Board cleared three detainees who were subsequently freed, determining they posed no danger to the United States or its allies.