Sadik Ahmad Turkistani
Sadik Ahmad Turkistani | |
|---|---|
| Born | Taif, Saudi Arabia |
| Occupation | Former detainee |
| Known for | Opposition to the Taliban, detention at Kandahar prison and Guantanamo Bay |
Sadik Ahmad Turkistani is an ethnic Uyghur born in Taif, Saudi Arabia who opposed the Taliban. He was detained by the Taliban in Kandahar prison and briefly released following their overthrow in late 2001.
As a member of the group known as the Kandahar Five, Turkistani was handed over to American authorities and subsequently transferred to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Cuba in early 2002, where he was designated an enemy combatant. He was approved for release by late 2005 and returned to Saudi Arabia on June 24, 2006.
Detention under the Taliban
For four and a half years, Turkistani was held captive by the Taliban at Kandahar prison, where he suffered torture and harsh treatment. Accused of plotting to assassinate al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, charges he denied, he maintained opposition to both the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The Taliban frequently imprisoned foreigners on espionage suspicions.
When the Northern Alliance freed approximately 1,500 inmates from Kandahar prison, Turkistani was among five former detainees reportedly sold to US forces in exchange for a bounty. Following this transfer, he underwent further detention as an enemy combatant at Guantanamo.
Turkistani belonged to a group of nine ex-Taliban prisoners who endured prolonged detention and alleged abuse during their handover from Taliban to US control. Defense attorneys characterized their experiences as both "bizarre" and "horrific."
Inclusion in Senate records
During a 2005 Senate discussion concerning Senator Lindsey Graham's proposal to limit detainees' access to US courts, Senator Jeff Bingaman submitted several Washington Post articles about Uyghur detainees into the Senate Record.[1] One of these articles highlighted Turkistani.[2] (The 2008 Boumediene v. Bush Supreme Court ruling later upheld detainees' rights to habeas corpus.)
Determined not an enemy combatant
According to the Washington Post, Turkistani was among 38 detainees found not to be enemy combatants during his Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT).[3] Nevertheless, he remained in custody.
On May 10, 2006, Radio Free Asia quoted Abu Bakker Qassim, one of five Uyghurs relocated to Albania on May 5, 2006.[4] Qassim mentioned that four innocent detainees were still held at Camp Iguana, including a Russian, an Algerian, a Libyan, and an individual born in Saudi Arabia to Uyghur parents.
Turkistani's secret garden
Turkistani told his attorney, Sabin Willett, that he and other detainees secretly cultivated a garden using seeds preserved from their food rations.[5][6] This covert garden at Camp Iguana was tended with plastic spoons by the men.
Return to Saudi Arabia
On June 25, 2006, fourteen individuals were repatriated from Guantanamo to Saudi Arabia. Some sources described them as fourteen Saudis, while others reported thirteen Saudis plus one Uyghur resident living in Saudi Arabia.
By January 2009, Turkistani had resettled in his hometown of Taif with plans to marry and launch a business.
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