Good smart humanitarian decision – releasing this Gitmo detainee after his 20 years of confinement – this story from The AP with this headline:
“U.S. sends home suspected 20th
(9/11) hijacker from Guantanamo”
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Saudi prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center who was suspected of trying to join the 9/11 hijackers has been sent back to his home country for treatment for mental illness, the DOD said on Monday (March 7, 2022).
Even so,
just as DOD officials notified Congress of its intention to transfer al-Qahtani
in February, and that prompted outrage from some Republicans.
My insert: Suppose North Vietnam had detained our “POWs” for 20 years say like for the late John McCain and numerous others?
There would probably
be no Republican outrage way back then, right? – Yeah right; no outrage.
DOD said in a prepared statement announcing the repatriation
of al-Qahtani: “The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia
and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts toward a deliberate and
thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and
ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility.”
Noteworthy: With this release, there still remains 38 prisoners
left at the detention center, and he is the second one released under President
Joe Biden, who has said he intends to close the facility.
The detainee, Mohammad Ahmad al-Qahtani, was flown to a Saudi Arabia treatment
facility after a review board (military & intelligence officials) concluded
he could be released after 20 years of custody.
The Bush administration dropped charges to try him after a legal
official concluded he had been tortured.
His lawyers said al-Qahtani, now 46 years old, suffers from mental
illness, including schizophrenia, and has ever since his childhood.
Background on his
capture: In August 2001, al-Qahtani was turned away from the U.S. at the
Orlando airport by immigration officers who were suspicious of his travel. The
lead September 11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta, was going to pick him up to take
part in the plot, according to previously released documents.
U.S. forces later captured him in Afghanistan and sent him
to Guantanamo, where he was subjected to brutal interrogations that the
Pentagon legal official in charge of war crimes commissions said amounted to
torture.
His treatment included beatings, exposure to extreme
temperatures, noise, sleep deprivation, and extended solitary confinement.
One FBI official in 2002 observed al-Qahtani speaking to
non-existent people in his cell, while “hearing voices” all the while he crouched
in a corner covering himself with a sheet for hours at a time.
Now with his release, there still remains 38 prisoners left at the detention center. However, only about half the men held there have been cleared for release, and no decision has been made about what to do with the rest, including those who still face trial by military commission for the 9/11 attack like the mastermind, KSM.
My 2 Cents: Interesting story and as I said right up front, it is a
good smart humanitarian decision in this man’s case.
More to come and then the
big trials begin – when? Who knows for sure, stay tuned.
This page as before will be
updated even as this snail pace process proceeds.
Thanks for stopping by.
No comments:
Post a Comment