Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi
Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 Al Qarara, Saudi Arabia |
| Died | June 10, 2006 (aged 29–30) Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Detention and death in Guantanamo Bay |
Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi (1976 – June 10, 2006) was a Saudi national who was detained in Pakistan in 2001 and subsequently held at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba starting in early 2002. Al-Utaybi passed away while in custody on June 10, 2006. The Department of Defense officially reported his death, alongside two other detainees, as suicides.
This official explanation of suicide was met with doubt, as families challenged the findings. A 2009 report from Seton Hall University Law School pointed out discrepancies in the Department of Defense’s narrative. In January 2010, Harper's Magazine featured an article by Scott Horton accusing the DoD of concealing the truth, suggesting that the detainees died due to harsh interrogation methods at a secret site called "Camp No," based on accounts from soldiers stationed at Delta Camp during that timeframe.
Background
Born in 1976 in Al Qarara, Saudi Arabia, Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi lost his parents early and was brought up by his uncle and cousins in Dawadmi.
At around 20 years old, Al-Utaybi traveled to Afghanistan towards the end of 2001 following the US-led military campaign to remove the Taliban regime after the 9/11 attacks. According to a relative, he intended to engage in humanitarian efforts but was allegedly handed over to US forces for a $5,000 bounty.
He was apprehended at a Pakistani checkpoint while disguised in a burqa along with four others. Classified as an enemy combatant, he was transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Death in custody
On June 10, 2006, the Department of Defense announced that three detainees—two Saudis and one Yemeni—had died by suicide. Their names were initially kept confidential.
The following day, Saudi officials disclosed the identities of the two Saudis; one was identified as Maniy bin Shaman al-Otaibi (also referenced as Mani bin Shaman bin Turki al Habradi). The Washington Post later revealed that Al-Utaybi had been recommended for transfer to another country but was expected to remain under secure detention. The DoD did not disclose which country or indicate whether Al-Utaybi had been informed about this transfer recommendation.
On June 13, human rights attorney Mark Denbeaux stated that Al-Utaybi had not been notified regarding his transfer status. Conversely, a 2008 memoir by former detainee Murat Kurnaz claimed that Al-Utaybi was aware of and looking forward to his release from Guantanamo.
Legal representation
Initially, the DoD asserted that none of the three men who died had legal counsel or had submitted habeas petitions. However, one attorney from Al-Utaybi’s defense team disputed this, confirming they had filed a writ of habeas corpus on his behalf in September 2005. The Department of Defense rejected this petition citing an incorrect spelling of his name and refused to grant security clearances for his legal team to meet with him, effectively preventing communication. Additionally, the lawyer indicated that the DoD withheld mail addressed to Al-Utaybi despite regulations prohibiting detainees from losing mail privileges under any circumstances.
Missing organs
Following challenges by Al-Utaybi’s family regarding the suicide verdict and requests for additional autopsies, the Department of Defense returned the bodies in mid-June. The Saudi post-mortem examination revealed that crucial organs—including the brain, heart, liver, and kidneys—had been retained by the DoD. Subsequent autopsies conducted by families were inconclusive because throat organs essential for determining if hanging caused death were missing due to US retention.
NCIS Investigation Summary
On August 23, 2008, Josh White of the Washington Post disclosed that he had obtained 3,000 pages of documents from the NCIS inquiry through Freedom of Information Act requests. The findings attributed the fatalities of detainees to failures by guards and a permissive approach toward compliant prisoners, which permitted activities such as personal laundry. These deaths took place in Camp 1, an area designated for cooperative detainees that has since been closed. It was reported that guards concealed the deceased by hanging laundry near the bodies to obstruct visibility.
Contested Conclusions
Murat Kurnaz, a former detainee released without charges in 2006, authored a memoir in 2008 recounting the deaths of three men at Guantanamo Bay. He and other inmates expressed skepticism regarding the official suicide explanations, emphasizing the strict supervision that would have made unnoticed suicides unlikely.
In December 2009, Seton Hall University's Center for Policy and Research, under Professor Mark Denbeaux, published Death in Camp Delta, which exposed discrepancies in the official accounts of these deaths and argued that they were misleading. This publication marked the center's fifteenth analysis of Guantanamo based on government-released data.
On January 18, 2010, Scott Horton wrote an article for Harper's Magazine suggesting that the deaths of al-Salami, al-Utaybi, and al-Zahrani were caused by accidental manslaughter during torture at a clandestine location outside the main camp, with the official suicide story serving as a deliberate cover-up.
See also
External links
- Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi's Guantanamo detainee assessment via Wikileaks
- "Study faults Guantanamo death probe", Al-Jazeera, December 2009
- "The Guantánamo “Suicides”: A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle", Harper's Magazine, 18 January 2010
- Andrew Sullivan, "Three Corpses In Gitmo: The Very Worst Seems True", The Atlantic, 18 January 2010
- "Guantánamo 'suicides' were at secret 'black' site", The Daily Telegraph, 18 January 2010
- "US magazine claims Guantánamo inmates were killed during questioning", The Guardian, 18 January 2010
- "Murders at Guantánamo: The Cover-Up Continues" Andy Worthington, June 9, 2010