Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman

Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman
Born	1982 (age 28–29) Malal, Pakistan
Arrested	2001-12-15 Pakistan Pakistani police
Citizenship	Yemeni
Detained at	Guantanamo
ISN	27
Charge(s)	No charge
Status	Still held in Guantanamo

Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman is a Yemeni who is detained in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camp, in Cuba.^[1][2]

Born on March 5, 1982, in Malal, Pakistan, he was a traveling religious teacher. He was ostensibly refused exit from Afghanistan by the Taliban.

When he escaped the country in December 2001,^[3] he turned himself over to Pakistani authorities asking them to take him to the Yemeni embassy, but was instead handed over to the American military as an "enemy combatant" whom they alleged had received al-Qaeda training based on his admission that he had met Osama bin Laden, and had "seen" a rifle while visiting a Taliban home.

Uthman's Guantanamo Internment Serial Number is 27, and his name has alternately been given as Uthman H. al-Rahim.^[1][3]

As of July 10, 2010, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman has been held at Guantanamo for eight years six months.^[4]

On February 24, 2010, Judge Henry H. Kennedy granted Uthman the writ of habeas corpus. He is the 44th Guantanamo prisoner to receive a merits decision on the legality of his detention, and the 33rd Guantanamo prisoner to have had his detention declared illegal by the courts. On March 29, 2011, this ruling was overturned in a United States federal appeals court. The three judge panel stated that Uthman's explanation of his activities "strains credulity".^[5]

Combatant Status Review

Main article: Combatant Status Review Tribunal

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for the tribunal, listing the alleged facts that led to his detainment. His memo accused him of the following:^[2]

a. The detainee is affiliated with al Qaeda.

1. The Detainee voluntarily traveled from Yemen to Quetta, Pakistan where he stayed in a Taliban house in March 2001. The detainee admitted to seeing an assault weapon in the Taliban house during his stay.
2. The detainee voluntarily traveled from Quetta, Pakistan to Kandahar, Afghanistan in March 2001.
3. The detainee traveled between Khost and Kabul, Afghanistan to teach the Koran from march 2001 to December 2001.
4. The detainee visited Usama Bin Laden’s home in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
5. The detainee is associated with two suspects in the USS Cole bombing in Yemen.

b. The detainee participated in military operations against the coalition.

1. The detainee attended advanced training at Tarnak Farm near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
2. The detainee fled Afghanistan subsequent to the fall of Kabul. The detainee was caught and detained in the Tora Bora region.

Statement

Uthman did not participate in the hearing of his CSRT. But he dictated a statement that answered each allegation, point by point.

Uthman denied all knowledge of the Tarnak Farms, and any participation in, or training for military operations. He stated that he had never even heard of "al-Qaeda" until after he was brought to Guantanamo.

He said he had traveled to Afghanistan to teach the Koran; that he had been prevented from leaving, first by the Taliban, and later by the opening of hostilities. He said when he arrived in Pakistan he voluntarily turned himself in to Pakistani authorities, who he expected would help him reach the Yemeni Embassy.

The final paragraph of his statement read:

"The Detainee asks that the Tribunal make their decision with the truth and that all the information in his unclassified summary are lies and fabricated to hold him. He went to Pakistan and Afghanistan to teach the Koran and he taught the Koran in Yemen before he left for Pakistan. The Detainee states that he is innocent and the whole world is his witness."

Administrative Review Board

Detainees whose Combatant Status Review Tribunal labeled them "enemy combatants" were scheduled for annual Administrative Review Board hearings. These hearings were designed to assess the threat a detainee may pose if released or transferred, and whether there are other factors that warrant his continued detention.^[6]

First annual Administrative Review Board hearing

A three page Summary of Evidence memo was drafted for his first annual Administrative Review Board hearing.^[7] The memo listed eighteen "primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and seven "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".

Second annual Administrative Review Board hearing

A four page Summary of Evidence memo was drafted for his second annual Administrative Review Board hearing.^[8] The memo listed twenty-seven "primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and eight "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".

Third annual Administrative Review Board hearing

A five page Summary of Evidence memo was drafted for his third annual Administrative Review Board hearing.^[9] The memo listed thirty-two "primary factors favor[ing] continued detention" and eight "primary factors favor[ing] release or transfer".

References

1. ^ ^{a b} OARDEC (2006-05-15). "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-29. 
2. ^ ^{a b} OARDEC (date redacted). "Summarized Detainee Unsworn Statement". United States Department of Defense. pp. pages 12–13. http://wid.ap.org/documents/detainees/uthmanrahim.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-02. 
3. ^ ^{a b} New York Times, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman,
4. ^ "Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman - The Guantánamo Docket". The New York Times. http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/27-uthman-abdul-rahim-mohammed-uthman. 
5. ^ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hrjbguZXnS-6XZfkFIWpIVC5hyzA?docId=fcf1ebdc88634a13b34727a409e5c1f9
6. ^ "Annual Administrative Review Boards for Enemy Combatants Held at Guantanamo Attributable to Senior Defense Officials". March 6, 2007. http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=3902. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
7. ^ OARDEC (2005-10-20). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Uthman, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed". United States Department of Defense. http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/27-uthman-abdul-rahim-mohammed-uthman/documents/1/pages/19#6. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 
8. ^ OARDEC (2006-09-26). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Rahim, Uthman H.". United States Department of Defense. http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/27-uthman-abdul-rahim-mohammed-uthman/documents/3/pages/30#9. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 
9. ^ OARDEC (2007-11-14). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Rahim, Uthman H.". United States Department of Defense. http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/27-uthman-abdul-rahim-mohammed-uthman/documents/9/pages/22#13. Retrieved 2009-08-11. 

External links

• The Black Hole of Guantánamo Andy Worthington March 2, 2010
• Judge Rules Yemeni’s Detention at Guantánamo Based Solely on Torture Andy Worthington April 4, 2010
• Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr.’s unclassified opinion (March 2010)
• Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr.’s revised unclassified opinion (April 2010)
• DOJ’s Troubled Case Against Uthman ProPublica, October. 8, 2010
• A Tale of 2 Gitmo Opinions: Ruling Altered to Hide Evidence of Dead, Tortured Witnesses – video report by Democracy Now!
• Mocking the Law, Judges Rule that Evidence Is Not Necessary to Hold Insignificant Guantánamo Prisoners for the Rest of Their Lives

Persondata
Name	Uthman, Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1982
Place of birth	Malal, Pakistan
Date of death
Place of death