Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah
Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962 Hay al-Turbawi Ta'iz, Yemen |
| Occupation | Detainee |
| Known for | Detained at Guantanamo Bay for over fourteen years; involvement in habeas corpus case challenging detention |
Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah is a Yemeni national who was held at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detainment camp located in Cuba for a period exceeding fourteen years. His assigned Internment Serial Number was 33. Analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo estimate his birth year as 1962, originating from Hay al-Turbawi Ta'iz, Yemen.
On August 15, 2016, he was relocated to the United Arab Emirates alongside fourteen other detainees.
Official status reviews
Initially, the Bush administration maintained that individuals captured during the "war on terror" were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions and could be detained indefinitely without formal charges or transparent procedures. However, in 2004, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Rasul v. Bush that detainees held at Guantanamo must be informed of the charges against them and granted the opportunity to contest their detention.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
In response to the Supreme Court's decision, the United States Department of Defense established 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 common allegations supporting their detention:
- Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah was alleged to have connections with groups hostile to coalition forces.
- He was also accused of residing in Al Qaeda, Taliban or other guest- or safehouses.
- Furthermore, he was claimed to have been part of Osama Bin Laden’s security detail.
- Al Edah was identified as an al Qaeda operative.
He took part in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal and attended his status review in 2005.
Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah v. George W. Bush
Following a writ of habeas corpus filed on his behalf, twenty-nine pages from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal were released publicly on July 13, 2005.
On August 17, 2009, US District Court Judge Gladys Kessler ordered his release after a three-day habeas hearing, much of which was conducted in camera to examine classified materials. Defense attorneys Kristin Wilhelm and Richard G. Murphy Jr. reported that affidavits were obtained from other detainees who had falsely accused Al Edah. The hearing also disclosed that Al Edah suffers from heart disease and had been offered cardiac surgery by medical personnel at the facility.
In December 2009, Judge Kessler held the Department of Defense in contempt for not recording his merits hearing despite her explicit order; officials explained this failure as due to "oversight and miscommunication." The government subsequently appealed her ruling.
After evaluating classified evidence, Kessler determined that Al Edah’s brief involvement with Al Farouq and subsequent expulsion did not warrant his detention under executive authority.
The Department of Justice filed an appeal against the release order on September 22, 2009. On July 13, 2010, an appellate court overturned the decision to release Mohammed Ahmad Said Al Edah, thereby affirming his continued detention.
Previously Classified Joint Task Force Guantanamo Evaluation
On April 25, 2011, the whistleblowing group WikiLeaks released confidential evaluations prepared by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo.[1] The eleven-page Joint Task Force Guantanamo assessment, completed on April 1, 2008,[2] bore the signature of camp commander Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby, who advised that detention should be maintained.
External links
- Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Five: Captured in Pakistan Andy Worthington, September 29, 2010
- Human Rights First; Habeas Works: Federal Courts’ Capacity to Handle Guantánamo Cases (2010)
- What Does It Take To Get Out Of Obama’s Guantánamo? Andy Worthington, December 14, 2009