Salem Abdul Salem Ghereby

Salem Abdul Salem Ghereby
Born	Template:Birth date Zliten, Libya
Died	April 12, 2023(2023-04-12) (aged 62) Libya
Occupation	Primary school science educator
Known for	Detainee at Guantanamo Bay detention camp

Salem Abdul Salem Ghereby (1 March 1961 – 12 April 2023) was a Libyan national detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba from 5 May 2002 until 4 April 2016. According to counter-terrorism analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo, he was born in Zliten, Libya.

Personal life

Historian Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, reports that Ghereby relocated to Pakistan after escaping the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. He married a Pakistani woman and fathered multiple children. His occupation was as a primary school science educator.

Official status reviews

The administration under President Bush initially claimed that detainees captured during the "war on terror" were not entitled to protections under the Geneva Conventions, permitting indefinite detention without formal charges or transparent judicial review.<ref name=UsaToday20071011> Critics contended that the Combatant Status Review Tribunals were prejudiced, accepting coerced testimony and denying detainees legal counsel.<ref> In 2004, the United States Supreme Court decided in Rasul v. Bush that detainees held at Guantanamo must be informed of the accusations against them and granted the opportunity to contest their detention.

Habeas corpus

Salem was the first detainee at Guantanamo to seek access to US Civil Courts through a habeas corpus petition. Human rights attorney Stephen Yagman filed this appeal on Salem’s behalf after contact from Salem’s brother.

Although Justice Matz initially ruled against Salem, this decision was overturned by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on 18 December 2003.

On 20 February 2007, a panel of three judges from the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit ruled that the Military Commissions Act of 2006 retroactively removed habeas corpus rights for Guantanamo detainees, resulting in the dismissal of ongoing appeals, including Salem’s case.

Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants

Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, the United States Department of Defense created the Office for the Administrative Review of Detained Enemy Combatants.

In December 2008, researchers at the Brookings Institution, led by Benjamin Wittes, classified Guantanamo detainees according to allegations used to justify their continued detention:

• Salem Abdul Salem Ghereby was categorized among detainees accused of Al Qaeda membership.
• His name or known aliases appeared on materials confiscated during raids on Al Qaeda safehouses.
• He was identified as an "al Qaeda operative."
• He was one of 82 detainees who made no statements or whose statements did not substantially address military allegations during Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRT) or Administrative Review Board (ARB) hearings.

Formerly secret Joint Task Force Guantanamo assessment

On 25 April 2011, whistleblower group WikiLeaks released previously classified evaluations by analysts from Joint Task Force Guantanamo. His twelve-page assessment, dated February 20, 2008, was signed by camp commander Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby, who recommended that his detention continue.

Legal Counsel for Salem

Salem's legal affairs were managed by Duke University professor Erwin Chemerinsky, who took charge of his habeas corpus petition. In 2002, Chemerinsky revealed that he had received threats to his life due to his defense of Gherebi, expressing:

• "I have never encountered such a volume of hostile correspondence in any other case."
• "It is crucial that the United States adheres strictly to the rule of law."

Relocation to Senegal

On April 4, 2016, Abu Bakr and Libyan national Salem Abdul Salem Ghereby were relocated to Senegal. This transfer represented Senegal's inaugural acceptance of detainees from Guantanamo Bay, aligning with the Obama administration's initiative to decrease the camp's inmate numbers and move toward its closure. A Joint Task Force Assessment, once classified but released by WikiLeaks in 2011, was cited by Fox News as indicating Ghereby's involvement in extremist activities dating back to the mid-1990s.

Passing

Ghereby passed away on April 12, 2023, in Libya after battling motor neurone disease.

External links

• Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Three: Captured Crossing from Afghanistan into Pakistan, AndyWorthington.co.uk. 22 September 2010.