Sultan Sari Sayel Al Anazi

Infobox WoT detainees
subject_name = Sultan Sari Sayel Al Anazi

---

image_size =
image_caption = | date_of_birth = Birth year and age|1974
place_of_birth = Sakaka, Saudi Arabia
date_of_arrest =
place_of_arrest= | arresting_authority=
date_of_release = | place_of_release=
date_of_death = | place_of_death =
citizenship = | detained_at = Guantanamo
id_number = 507
group =
alias =
charge = no charge, held in extrajudicial detention
penalty =
status = Cleared for repatriation
csrt_summary =
csrt_transcript=
occupation = | spouse = | parents = | children =

Sultan Sari Sayel Al Anazi is a citizen of Saudi Arabia, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf
title=List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
date=May 15 2006
accessdate=2007-09-29
format=PDF] His Guantanamo Internee Security Number is 507.American intelligence analysts estimate that Al Anazi was born in 1974, in Sakaka, Saudi Arabia.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal

] Three chairs were reserved for members of the press, but only 37 of the 574 Tribunals were observed.cite web
url=http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3902
title=Annual Administrative Review Boards for Enemy Combatants Held at Guantanamo Attributable to Senior Defense Officials
publisher=United States Department of Defense
date=March 6 2007
accessdate=2007-09-22] ]

Initially the Bush administration asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct a competent tribunals to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war status.

Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were "lawful combatants" -- rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush administration's definition of an enemy combatant.

ummary of Evidence memo

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Sultan Sari Sayel Al Anazi'sCombatant Status Review Tribunal, on
27 September 2004.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/000400-000499.pdf#34
title=Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Al Anazi, Sultan Sari Sayel
date=27 September 2004
pages=pages 34-35
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-05-05] The memo listed the following allegations against him:

:"'a. The detainee is associated with al Qaida::#The detainee traveled from Saudi Arabia to Afghanistan via Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan in July 2001. [As read aloud, and recorded in the transcript, this allegation was: "The detainee traveled from Saudi Arabia; Bahrain; Karachi, Pakistan; Quetta, Pakistan; Kandahar, Afghanistan; Jalalabad, Afghanistan and finally Kabul, Afghanistan.] :#The detainee's name was found on a list of "Trust Accounts" for al Qaida mujahidin found in raids on al Qaida safe house in Pakistan, 11 September 2002 through 1 March 2003.

:"'b. The detainee participated in military operations against the United States or its coalition partners.:#The detainee fled to the [Zubair Center in Tora Bora in November of 2001 and was wounded in an air strike.:#The detainee was captured by coalition forces while convalescing at an unknown location after fighting in the Tora Bora region.

Transcript

Al Anazi chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt/Set_37_2578-2607.pdf#20
title=Summarized Statement
date=date redacted
pages=pages 20-30
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-05-05] On March 3 2006, in response to a court order from Jed Rakoff the Department of Defense published an eleven page summarized transcript from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.cite news
url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/World/US-releases-Guantanamo-files/2006/04/04/1143916500334.html
title=US releases Guantanamo files
publisher=The Age
date=April 4, 2006
accessdate=2008-03-15
quote=]

Opening statement

Al Anazi acknowledged traveling to Afghanistan. He said he traveled to Pakistan, as a tourist, and as one of a group of Tablighi Jamaat pilgrims. He said he not originally intended to go to Afghanistan at all. But this group decided to enter the Afghanistan border area to help the local Afghans learn how other people practiced Islam. They traveled to Afghanistan prior to the attack of September 11, 2001, but were not able to cross the border before the American bombings started. Many of his fellow pilgrims were killed during the bombing in which he was injured.

Al Anazi denied participating in any hostilities. In response to the allegation that he participated in military operations, he said::"This is simply not true; I never fought in the Tora Bora region or anywhere else in Afghanistan for that matter. I have no expertise in military weapons or tactics. In fact, I dislike the military altogether and I have no desire to join. I dislike fighting in general."

Al Anazi denied being captured by coalition forces. He said that he sought out American or coalition soldiers to whom he could surrender, so he wouldn't be killed by accident.

Testimony

In response to questioning from the Tribunal's officers:
*Al Anazi denied receiving military training in Afghanistan or Pakistan.
*Al Anazi denied traveling to Afghanistan to engage in Jihad.
*When Al Anazi was asked why decided to travel with the Tablighi Jamaat teachers he responded:
*:"For tourism and to learn about the Muslim religion. Also, I am ill with a term called magic and demons or magic and the devil. When someone from Jamaat al Tibliq would stand over me and read from the Koran, the demon would be cast out."
*Al Anazi said he could not explain how his name would end up on an al Qaeda list.
*When asked to describe the "Zubair Center" Al Anazi explained that his interrogators must have misunderstood him. Zubair was not the name of a place. It was the name of the leader of his group of Tablighi Jamaat pilgrims.
*Al Anazi told his Tribunal that no one in his group had ever carried any weapons.
*Al Anazi said he had not planned to join in an Tablighi pilgrimage when he first traveled to Pakistan. He met them in a Mosque, was impressed by their scholarship, and decided to join them when they left the mosque a few days later.
*Al Anazi said that he had his passport with him when he surrendered. He told his tribunal that the Afghans he surrendered to stole his passport, his wallet, his watch, even his shoes.
*Al Anazi replied that he worked as a bus driver in Saudi Arabia, and he paid for his travels out of his savings.

Witnesses

Al Anazi had wanted to call other detainees as witnesses. But he couldn't because he didn't know their full names.

Administrative Review Board hearings

Detainees who were determined to have been properly classified as "enemy combatants" were scheduled to have their dossier reviewed at annual Administrative Review Board hearings.cite news
url=http://www.jtfgtmo.southcom.mil/storyarchive/2007/07octstories/102907-2-oardec.html
title=OARDEC provides recommendations to Deputy Secretary of Defense
publisher=JTF Guantanamo Public Affairs
author=Army Sgt. Sarah Stannard
date=October 29 2007
accessdate=2008-03-26
quote=] The Administrative Review Boards weren't authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, and they weren't authorized to review whether a detainee should have been classified as an "enemy combatant".

They were authorized to consider whether a detainee should continue to be detained by the United States, because they continued to pose a threat -- or whether they could safely be repatriated to the custody of their home country, or whether they could be set free.

First annual Administrative Review Board

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Sultan Sari Sayel Al Anazi'sfirst annual Administrative Review Board, on 2 May 2005.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_1_Factors_001046-001160.pdf#8
title=Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Anazi, Sultan Sari Sayel
date=2 May 2005
pages=pages 8-10
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-05-05] The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

The following primary factors favor continued detention:

:

The following primary factors favor release or transfer:

:
*Al Anazi confirmed that he had not been wounded, and that he never received any treatment for a wound, or a wound-like ailment.
*Al Anazi confirmed that he had heard about al Qaida. He said he heard about it, for the first time, from his initial kidnappers. However, he knew nothing about al Qaida.
*Al Anazi confirmed that he did not like bloodshed. He disputed that he ever said he would kill Americans, even in self-defense.
*Al Anazi repeated that he believes that he does not hold any ill will to America, because he believes they want peace and security all over the world.
*Al Anazi confirmed that he believes killing innocent people is against the teaching of Islam.

Closing statement

quotation
I just have one thing. I don't have any ill will in my heart for the Americans. I've been told that I'm from al Qaida. I deny all allegations that were said against me. If I had anything against the Americans sic, the Americans were close to me in Saudi Arabia. I had a good reputation in Saudi Arabi. I have never been in prison in Saudi Arabia. This is just for your own information. Thank you.

Board recommendations

In early September 2007 the Department of Defense released two heavily redacted memos, from his Board, to Gordon England, the Designated Civilian Official.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_2_Decision_memos_266-358.pdf#84
title=Administrative Review Board assessment and recommendation ICO ISN 507
date=August 9 2006
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-05-05
page=page 84] cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_2_Decision_memos_266-358.pdf#85
title=Classified Record of Proceedings and basis of Administrative Review Board recommendation for ISN 507
date=28 July 2006
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-05-05
pages=pages 85-93] The Board's recommendation was unanimousThe Board's recommendation was redacted.England authorized his transfer on
August 14 2006.

On unredacted paragraph in the memos stated:quotation
The Board reviewed and considered the associated SCI material for this case and considered it relevant but redundant. This information is being forwarded separately via JWICS to the Director, OARDEC.

Repatriation

According to The Saudi Repatriates Report Al Anazi was one of sixteen men repatriated on December 14 2006.cite web
url=http://www.fotofest.org/guantanamo/SaudiReport.pdf
title=The Saudi Repatriates Report
author=Anant Raut, Jill M. Friedman
date=March 19 2007
accessdate=April 21
accessyear=2007
format=PDF]

References