Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al Hanashi
Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al Hanashi | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 1, 1978 Abyan, Yemen |
| Died | June 1, 2009 (aged 31) Guantanamo Bay detention facility, Cuba |
| Occupation | Detainee |
Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh Al Hanashi (February 1978 – June 1, 2009) was a Yemeni national detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. He was assigned the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 78. According to the Department of Defense, his birthplace was Abyan, Yemen.
On June 2, 2009, the Department of Defense reported that a 31-year-old Yemeni detainee identified as "Muhammed Ahmad Abdallah Salih" had died by an apparent suicide on June 1, 2009. At that time, Al Hanashi was undergoing force-feeding via a nasal tube due to his prolonged hunger strike and was restrained in a restraint chair. Legal counsel had reportedly been arranged only shortly before his death, with two attorneys scheduled to visit him soon after. Camp officials prohibited journalists from covering his death until their departure from Guantanamo.
June 2009 death
Late on June 1, 2009, Ahmed was discovered "unresponsive" in his cell. He was held in Camp 5 as well as the Guantanamo psychiatric ward. Like other detainees who died by suicide, he had been engaged in a long-term hunger strike and was subjected twice daily to restraint chair force-feedings. The Associated Press noted that his weight had diminished to just 86 pounds.
David Remes highlighted that Ahmed lacked legal representation until a few weeks before his passing and that his lawyers had not yet met with him.
On June 3, 2009, Guantanamo spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Brook DeWalt indicated that Ahmed had ceased hunger striking by the time of his death, having ended it around mid-May. Journalist David McFadden of the Associated Press reported that the military declined to reveal specifics about Ahmed’s cause of death, only referring to it as an apparent suicide.
DeWalt refused to confirm whether Ahmed was housed in the psychiatric unit or if he had previous suicide attempts.
Yemeni diplomat Khalid al-Kathiri visited Guantanamo to supervise the handling of Ahmed’s remains. The Miami Herald also reported that an observer from the Miami Coroner's office was present.
Ahmed’s remains were repatriated to Yemen on June 5, 2009. Navy spokesman Jose Ruiz stated that autopsy findings would remain confidential pending completion of the investigation by the Navy Criminal Investigative Service.
On June 11, 2009, Andrew O. Selsky of the Associated Press published interviews with former detainees acquainted with Ahmed. Recently freed detainee Binyam Mohammed described suicide as uncharacteristic for Ahmed: "He was patient and encouraged others. He never viewed suicide as a way to end despair." Mohammed recounted that Ahmed acted as a prisoners' representative and was transferred from Camp 5 on January 17, 2009, following meetings with Admiral David Thomas, commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and Colonel Bruce Vargo, head of camp guards. Subsequently, Ahmed was placed in the psychiatric wing.
Selsky also reported that attorney Elizabeth Gilson, who represented another detainee in the psychiatric unit, possessed knowledge regarding details of Ahmed's death but was unable to disclose them due to classification restrictions.
On August 1, 2009, Mike Melia from the Associated Press reported statements from Yemeni official Mohammed Albasha, who said U.S. authorities informed Yemen that Al Hanashi died from "asphyxiation." Fellow detainees Yasin Qasem Muhammad Ismail and Adnan Latif testified that Ahmed’s weight had dropped below 45 kilograms prior to his death and that he relied on crutches for mobility.
NCIS Investigation Report Published in 2016
Information disclosed through the Freedom of Information Act in 2016 indicated that Al Hanashi's cause of death was strangulation inflicted with a piece of elastic underwear. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) encountered difficulties piecing together the sequence of events because personnel at Guantanamo's Behavioral Health Unit were directed to disable all computer logging during the incident. The individual responsible for ordering this system shutdown was never established by NCIS. In the month prior to his death, Al Hanashi made several suicide attempts and had been placed under suicide watch on at least one occasion. Significantly, the elastic underwear he used did not comply with Guantanamo’s clothing regulations, prompting surprise among staff about his unauthorized garment. According to the FOIA materials, Al Hanashi was regarded as a detainee leader who, on the day he died, voiced complaints to the Behavioral Health Unit supervisor regarding proposed disciplinary rule changes and alleged mistreatment. His final written message conveyed frustration over his unheeded report and a diminished will to continue living.
See also
External links
- Murder at Guantanamo? The Strange Death of Mohammad Saleh al Hanashi Truthout November 20, 2009