Mohammed Sulaymon Barre
Mohamed Saleban Bare | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 27, 1964 Burao, Somaliland |
| Occupation | Refugee |
| Known for | Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Mohamed Saleban Bare (identified by the Pentagon as Mohammed Sulaymon Barre) () is a Somali refugee who experienced extrajudicial detention at the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba.
According to analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo, he was born on December 27, 1964, in Burao, Somaliland. The Washington Post highlights conflicting accusations against Barre; while he is alleged to have been involved with al Qaeda in Sudan during 1994–1995, United Nations documentation confirms his residence in a U.N. refugee camp in Pakistan throughout that period.
Barre's refugee classification
On December 20, 2006, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) reached out to The Pentagon requesting clarification regarding the detention of Barre and another individual at Guantanamo. Until that point, the UNHCR had not been informed that recognized refugees were being held there. Barre had been granted UN refugee status in Pakistan in 1994, and similarly, Mammar Ameur obtained such status there in 1996. Among detainees later cleared of being "enemy combatants" was Fethi Boucetta, one of 38 individuals exonerated.
Removal of Al Barakat from U.S. terrorism watchlist
One reason for Barre’s detention involved suspicions linking Dahabshiil, the Somalia-based hawala where he was employed, to Al Barakat, another Somalia-based hawala whose assets were frozen and whose representatives faced arrest over allegations of terrorist financing. On August 28, 2006, the BBC reported that Al Barakat had been taken off the U.S. list of terrorist organizations. The BBC noted that although Al Barakat was suspected of funding the 9-11 hijackers, the 9/11 Commission found no evidence supporting this claim. While certain Al Barakat agents were individually scrutinized as suspects, company owner Ahmed Nur Ali Jimaale confirmed that their Swedish agent was the last to be cleared.
Appeal letter to President Obama from Barre’s father
On June 26, 2009, the Washington Post published a letter addressed to United States President Barack Obama from Mohammed’s father, Sulaymon Barre Ali, appealing for his son’s release.
Filing of new habeas corpus petition
Following the Supreme Court decision in Boumediene v. Bush, Mohammed Sulaymon Barre gained permission to submit a habeas corpus petition, as reported by the Washington Post on June 28, 2008. His legal counsel is J. Wells Dixon. On July 15, 2008, a "NOTICE OF FILING OF MOTION FOR ENTRY OF PROTECTIVE ORDER ON CONSENT" was submitted by Emilou Maclean on behalf of Mohammed Sulaymon Barre ((ISN 567)) within Civil Action No. 08-cv-1153 (HHK). By December 30, 2008, Daniel M. Barish from the United States Department of Justice notified the court that factual returns had been filed concerning seven habeas petitions, including Barre’s case.
Return to homeland
Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald reported that Barre was among twelve detainees transferred from Guantanamo on December 19, 2009. He and fellow Somali Ismael Arale arrived in Somaliland and were immediately released to reunite with family members in Hargeisa, the capital city of the region. Local Somaliland media indicated they were flown on an aircraft provided by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The group of eleven others comprised Ayman Batarfi, Jamal Alawi Mari, Farouq Ali Ahmed, Muhammaed Yasir Ahmed Taher, Fayad Yahya Ahmed al Rami, Riyad Atiq Ali Abdu al Haf, Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim, Mohammed Hashim, and Ismael Arale. Among them were Afghans Abdul Hafiz, Sharifullah, Mohamed Rahim, and Mohammed Hashim; Ismael Arale was another Somali; and six detainees were Yemeni nationals.
Upon his release, Barre described Guantanamo as a "living hell," emphasizing that numerous detainees endured severe physical injuries and psychological trauma. He remarked: "Some fellow prisoners lost their eyesight; others suffered amputations or became mentally incapacitated. Compared to them, I am fortunate."
External links
- “Hell on Earth”: Former Somali Detainee Shares Guantánamo Experience Andy Worthington, December 23, 2009
- Somali Ex-Detainee Describes Guantanamo as 'Hell on Earth'