Salih Uyar
Salih Uyar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962 Turkey |
| Occupation | Former Guantanamo detainee |
| Known for | Extrajudicial detention at Guantanamo Bay |
Salih Uyar (born in 1962) is a Turkish national who was subjected to extrajudicial detention at the United States' Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba. He was returned to his home country on April 18, 2005.
Casio watch
Uyar's detention details emerged when the Department of Defense complied with an order from US District Court Judge Jed Rakoff to disclose documents related to Combatant Status Review Tribunals. A notable justification for his capture was that he was found wearing a Casio F91W digital watch. Uyar contested this reasoning by stating, "If possessing this watch is considered a crime, then your own military personnel also wear this watch. Does that imply they are terrorists too?"
On March 3, 2006, in response to Judge Rakoff's directive, the Department of Defense released a summarized transcript from Uyar's Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
Press reports
On July 12, 2006, Mother Jones magazine featured excerpts from transcripts of Guantanamo detainees, highlighting that more than a dozen detainees were noted for having inexpensive digital watches, especially the Casio model associated with alleged Al Qaeda bomb detonators. The article included Uyar’s remarks and those of others who questioned the rationale behind criminalizing ownership of such watches, emphasizing his statement: "If it is a crime to carry this watch, your own military personnel also carry this watch. Does this mean they're just terrorists as well?"
Determined not to have been an Enemy Combatant
According to The Washington Post, Uyar was among those detainees later determined not to be enemy combatants. The report confirms that he has since been released.