Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy

Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy Alkinani
Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy Alkinani
Born	October 28, 1956 (age 70); Shubrakass, Egypt
Occupation(s)	Academic, instructor of English and Arabic at Kabul University
Known for	Detained at Guantanamo Bay detention camp, designated no longer an enemy combatant

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 7 August 2025

Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy Alkinani (born October 28, 1956) is an Egyptian academic who was held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. His Internment Serial Number was 287. Originating from Shubrakass, Egypt, he was returned to his home country on September 30, 2005, and subsequently designated by the United States Department of Defense as no longer an enemy combatant.

Background

Prior to the Invasion of Afghanistan, he served as an instructor of English and Arabic at Kabul University.

Combatant Status Review

The Bush administration maintained that the Geneva Conventions did not extend protections to detainees who were neither part of Afghanistan’s formal military forces nor qualified as prisoners of war. Opponents contended that the U.S. was still required to conduct fair tribunals to establish detainees’ status. To address this, the U.S. Department of Defense created Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRTs) tasked with determining if detainees met the criteria of "enemy combatants."

An "enemy combatant," as defined by the Department of Defense, referred to any person associated with or supporting the Taliban, al-Qaeda, or allied groups engaged in hostilities against the United States or coalition members, including those conducting hostile acts or providing direct support.

CSRTs functioned without adhering to civilian court evidentiary standards and accepted government evidence as presumed “genuine and accurate.” Between July 2004 and March 2005, these tribunals reviewed detainee statuses; roughly 60% of detainees took part in hearings. Each detainee received a Summary of Evidence memo outlining accusations justifying their classification as enemy combatants.

For this individual, accusations included:

Alleged al-Qaeda membership
Approximately one year’s residence in a guesthouse located in Khost, Afghanistan
Employment as an instructor at a Taliban madrassa in Kabul
Departure from Afghanistan while wounded due to a bombing
Capture in December 2001 while traveling with armed men under an assumed name

Following a judicial mandate issued on March 3, 2006, the Department of Defense disclosed a seven-page summarized transcript from his CSRT.

Tribunal Allegations

The charges presented during his Tribunal varied notably from those listed in his Summary of Evidence memo:

Habeas corpus petitions

He was the subject of at least three distinct habeas corpus petitions. Judges Reggie Walton, Kennedy, and Leon from the US District Court examined his detention in cases titled Mohammon v. Bush, Sliti v. Bush, and Aziz v. Bush. Throughout these filings, he appeared under the names "Alla Al Mossary", "Abdul Aziz Al Mossary", and "Abu Abdul Aziz".

In September 2007, the United States Department of Defense released files for 179 detainees responding to habeas petitions; however, his file was notably absent.

Guantanamo medical records

On March 16, 2007, the Department of Defense published records documenting detainees’ height and weight measurements. While most detainees had their weight recorded regularly, Sami al Laithy’s weight was noted only seven times between February 2002 and May 2005. His height was recorded at 72 inches with a healthy weight range estimated between 136.4 and 183.6 pounds. Upon arrival at Guantanamo, his weight was documented at 152 pounds; five measurements taken in 2004 ranged between 137 and 140 pounds, with his last recorded weight being 130 pounds.

The records reveal that he refused to be weighed during several months across 2004 and 2005; no explanations were provided for missing weight data during 2002 and 2003.

Claims of mistreatment during detention

While held at Camp Delta, Al Laithi suffered paralysis, resulting in paraplegia. Soon after his arrival, he alleges that a guard violently threw him onto the floor and stomped on his back within the prison hospital, fracturing his vertebrae and leaving him wheelchair-bound. He asserts that prison officials refused to provide medical interventions that might have averted his paralysis.

His attorney, Clive Stafford Smith, advocated for medical care, access to his prison health records, and removal from solitary confinement. Although Al Laithi was considered an uninvolved party—as opposed to detainees identified as Chinese dissidents held in Camp Iguana—he was nonetheless kept in isolation.

Return to Egypt

In early October, U.S. authorities repatriated an Egyptian citizen after an "Administrative Review" concluded he no longer represented a security risk. On October 5, 2005, this individual was confirmed to be Al Laithi.

Commander Flex Plexico reported that the United States had received commitments from Egyptian officials ensuring humane treatment upon his return. Pentagon representatives attributed his health complications to a car accident prior to detention and stated there was no evidence of deterioration caused by his incarceration.

In a 2005 interview with Al Ahram, Al Laithi described a brief stay in a U.S. hospital before being sent back home. He disputed medical documentation linking his paralysis to a traffic accident, alleging these records were falsified to conceal injuries inflicted during his captivity.

Given his history of outspoken criticism toward the Egyptian regime, Al Laithi expressed apprehension about returning to Egypt.

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