Sa ad Ibraham Sa ad Al Bidna

Sa ad Ibraham Sa ad Al Bidna is a citizen of Saudi Arabia, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba. [http://www.dod.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf list of prisoners (.pdf)] , "US Department of Defense", May 15 2006] Al Bidna's Guantanamo detainee ID number is 337.The Department of Defense reports that Al Bidna was born on May 11 1978, in Riyadh, 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 date=December 2007

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 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.

Al Bidna chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal. [http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt/Set_47_3130-3248.pdf#102 Summarized transcripts (.pdf)] , from Sa ad Ibraham Sa ad Al Bidna's "Combatant Status Review Tribunal" - pages 102-116]

Administrative Review Board hearing

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. 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.

The factors for and against continuing to detain Al Bidna were among the 121 that the Department of Defense released on March 3 2006. [http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt/ARB_Factors_Set_2_1046-1160.pdf#41 Factors for and against the continued detention (.pdf)] of Sa ad Ibraham Sa ad Al Bidna "Administrative Review Board", May 2 2005 - page 41]

"The following primary factors favor continued detention:

:""'a. Commitment:#"The detainee traveled from Saudi Arabia to Iran via Syria during the summer of 2001.:#"Pakistani officials arrested the detainee late November or early December 2001.:#"The detainee's confinement history includes several incidents of failure to comply, hostile acts and guard harassment.

:""b. Connections / Associations:#"The detainee associated with a Saudi providing relief to a refugee organization.:#"The same Saudi facilitated the detainee's illegal entry into Pakistan.:#"The Saudi is a known operative for al Wafa.:#"Executive Order 13224, which blocks property and prohibits transactions with persons who commit, threaten to commit, or support terrorism, designated al Wafa as a global terrorist entity.

:""'c. Intent::The detainee admitted to being a terrorist.

"The following primary factors favor release or transfer:

:* "During the interview where the detainee admitted to being a terrorist, he was frustrated, extremely mad and being sarcastic. During this interview he threw his hands up and said, "All right, you got me, I'm a terrorist".:* "The detainee denied having any knowledge of the attacks in the United States prior to their execution on September 11th, and also denied knowledge of any rumors or plans of future attacks on the United States or its interests.:* "Representatives of a foreign government believe that the detainee has low intelligence or law enforcement value to the United States and is unlikely to pose a terrorist threat to the United States or its interests.

Transcript

Al Bidna chose to participate in his Administrative Review Board hearing. [http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt/ARB_Transcript_Set_1_395-584.pdf#127 Summarized transcript (.pdf)] , from Sa ad Ibraham Sa ad Al Bidna's "Administrative Review Board hearing" - page 127]

Response to the factors

* Al Bidna clarified that he paid for his own travel, it was legal for Saudis to travel to Afghanistan, and he traveled openly using legitimate travel passports.
* Al Bidna acknowledged that he had been arrested by Pakistani authorities when he re-entered Pakistan from Afghanistan.
* According to Al Bidna's statement, dictated to his Assisting military officer:
* :"Regarding harassing the guards...in this camp there are many psychological pressures. We cannot sleep, [We get harassed] during meal times. Sometimes when we are sleeping they use cleaning chemicals to bother [us] . Some people [have] fainted because it is so strong. Other reasons [are] that I take psychological medications. If you were in my place you would be even more bothered by this. I come from a respectable family so it is normal for a person to become angry. Don't forget that I am a person."

* Al Bidna disputed that he was associated with a Saudi providing relief. He clarified that he had merely been introduced to him, and had no meaningful association with him.
* Al Bidna acknowledged that the Saudi 'facilitated the detainee's illegal entry in Pakistan. Howevver, he did not realize that his entry was going to be illegal.
* Al Bidna questioned the description, in the factors, that the Saudi was a "known operative for al Wafa". The Saudi's relationship with al Wafa was not known to him.
* Al Bidna said he had never heard of al Bidna until he arrived in Guantanamo.

* Al Bidna addressed the factor that he "admitted to being a terrorist":
* :"Yes, I said that because of pressure and also I told you that I take medication for psychological reasons so I was always thinking of my family and so on and I was bothered. I am a person who is very volatile. If I said that I was a terrorist it is because they would take me during the day, during that night [and [ put me in a room and tell me to say that I [was] a terrorist. They would take me for long hours, under pressure, swearing against my family. They talked about my family in ways that were not good. So I told them [that] if they would like me to say that I [was] a terrorist, and this is not true, then I will say that I am a terrorist but this is not true.

Repatriation

Al Bidna was repatriated with thirteen other men, on June 25 2006.cite web
url=http://saudiembassy.net/2006News/News/TerDetail.asp?cIndex=6331
title=Fourteen Guantanamo detainees returned to the Kingdom
date=June 25 2006
publisher=Royal Saudi Embassy, Washington DC
accessdate=March 10
accessyear=2007]

References