Polad Sabir Sirajov
Polad Sabir Sirajov | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 6, 1975 Azerbaijan |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, Translator |
| Known for | Former detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp |
Polad Sabir Sirajov is an Azerbaijani national who was previously held at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp located in Cuba. Official records list him as Poolad T. Tsiradzho, with the Guantanamo Internment Serial Number 89.
Born on May 6, 1975, Sirajov was relocated to Slovakia in January 2010. Sources describe him as an economist and translator who journeyed to Afghanistan for Quranic studies and sustained injuries while employed as a security guard at a food storage facility in northern Afghanistan.
He was detained without formal charges, and his transfer to Slovakia effectively ended his confinement at Guantanamo.
Background
Sirajov completed his education at Turkey's Erciyes University in 1992 and subsequently worked as a translator for a Turkish construction firm. His family reports that he vanished on February 16, 2001, expressing doubt that he willingly joined any extremist groups due to his limited religious involvement. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) indicated that he was apprehended in Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan.
Initial reports suggested his release would be to the Netherlands, but he was ultimately transferred to Slovakia in January 2010. In June of that year, Sirajov, along with two other former detainees from Guantanamo, reportedly initiated a hunger strike protesting the conditions at the Slovakian facility.
Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants
Documents from annual reviews conducted between 2004 and 2007 were published by the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants (OARDEC).
A December 2008 Brookings Institution analysis led by Benjamin Wittes identified Poolad T. Tsiradzho among detainees alleged by military authorities to be Taliban fighters who resided in Al Qaeda or Taliban safehouses, underwent military or terrorist training in Afghanistan, and whose names appeared on materials seized during raids on Al Qaeda sites. He was categorized as a foreign combatant who denied membership in Al Qaeda or the Taliban but acknowledged facts justifying detention under laws of war, including admitting to fighting on behalf of these entities.
Habeas petition
A habeas corpus petition was submitted on Sirajov’s behalf. Although the Department of Defense released documents related to Combatant Status Review Tribunals for 179 detainees, none of his habeas filings were made public.
In July 2008, a U.S. District Court declared his habeas petition moot. Later, on December 30, 2008, DOJ official Daniel M. Barish notified the court that "factual returns" had been filed in seven habeas cases, including Sirajov’s.
Formerly secret JTF-GTMO assessments
In April 2011, WikiLeaks disclosed previously classified Joint Task Force Guantanamo assessments. Sirajov’s evaluation, dated January 25, 2008, spanned nine pages, was signed by camp commander Mark H. Buzby, and recommended continued detention under Department of Defense authority.
Recruitment
Gamat Suleyman, leader of Baku’s Abu Bakr mosque, refuted claims that Polad was recruited there, stating that "Wahabism, which has been embraced by radicals including Osama bin Laden, has never been promoted at Abu Bakr."
Meanwhile, Rafig Aliyev, chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations, mentioned that 54 arrests had taken place at the mosque and asserted that Wahabism continues to be propagated there. He also expressed doubts about anyone establishing contact with bin Laden independently.
Release
On May 25, 2006, the Azeri-Press Information Agency conveyed that Sirajov had expressed a preference to be released to Russia instead of Azerbaijan. Elchin Behbudov from the Azerbaijan Committee Against Torture mentioned on June 1, 2006, that Sirajov was undergoing rehabilitation in a third country and was anticipated to return to Russia once this process was completed.
In June 2006, reports indicated that Sirajov was traveling to the Netherlands. Nonetheless, by March 4, 2009, he was still held at Guantanamo Bay, believed to be among approximately 60 detainees approved for release.
During 2009, Spanish news sources revealed that Spain was considering accepting his transfer along with five other detainees. Ultimately, Polad was relocated to Slovakia in January 2010 together with two detainees from North Africa. The security protocols they encountered there were reportedly more stringent than those at Guantanamo's Camp Four.
By October 2011, the two former detainees from North Africa had returned to their home countries, while Polad continued residing in Slovakia.
External links
- The Guantánamo Files: Website Extras (1) – The Qala-i-Janghi Massacre Andy Worthington
- Three Neglected Ex-Guantánamo Prisoners in Slovakia Embark on a Hunger Strike Andy Worthington June 27, 2010