Ziad Said Farg Jahdari

Ziad Said Farg Jahdari is a citizen of Saudi Arabia, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/May2006/d20060515%20List.pdf list of prisoners (.pdf)] , "US Department of Defense", May 15 2006] His Guantanamo detainee ID number is 286. Intelligence analysts estimate he was born in 1979, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal

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, on 30 August 2004, for the Combatant Status Review Tribunal of a captive called both Ziad Said Farg Jahdari and Ziyad Sa'id Faraj Al-Jahdali.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/000300-000399.pdf#30
title=Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal -- Jahdari, Ziad Said Farq (Al-Jahdali, Ziyad Sa'id Faraj)
date=30 August 2004
pages=page 30
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-04-25] The memo listed the following allegations against him:

:"'a. Detainee is a member of the Taliban.:#Detainee was recruited to fight the Northern Alliance and was financed for his trip to Afghanistan from Jessah sic Saudi Arabia by a Taliban member.:#Detainee traveled to Afghanistan and stayed in a place called the "Afghan center,"" 20 kilometers from Kabul. Detainee served as a guard and his responsibility was to watch for the enemy. The Afghan center was run by the Taliban.:#Detainee received informal training in the use of the Kalashnikov sic rifle.

:"'b. Detainee engaged in hostilities against the United States and/or its coalition partners.:#Detainee fired his weapon in the direction of what he believed was the enemy.

Transcript

There is no record thatJahdari participated in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.

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.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 Ziad Said Farq Jahdari'sfirst annualAdministrative Review Board, on
24 January 2005.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_1_Factors_001161-001234.pdf#58
title=Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Jahdari, Ziad Said Farq
date=24 January 2005
pages=pages 58-59
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-04-25] The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

The following primary factors favor continued detention:

:"'a. Commitment:#Detainee traveled to [Afghanistan and stayed in a place called the Afghan Center, 20 kilometers from Kabul. Detainee served as a guard and his responsibility was to watch for the enemy. The Afghan Center was run by the Taliban.:#The detainee has been designated as a high priority target and placed on a government watch list.:#Detainee departed Saudi Arabia in the Spring 2001, spent two nights in Karachi, Pakistan, then flew on to Quetta, PK. The detainee spent 6 hours in Quetta, PK, then left for Afghanistan. The detainee traveled by car to Kandahar, AF, where he stayed in a house with both Afghanis and Arabs. The detainee stayed there for approximately three weeks before traveling to Kabul, AF. The detainee stayed in Kabul for approximately three weeks before leaving for a village where he trained on the Kalashnikov. The detainee spent two and a half months in the village.

:"'b. Training:#The detainee received one day of training with the Kalashnikov rifle before standing guard duty.:#The detainee was unable to provide the name of the group which he trained under; the name of the individual who trained him in the operation of the Kalishnikob rifle; the names of the individuals who sent him to the front lines; or the name of the commander he was under.

:"'c. Intent:#The detainee was advised to fight with the Taliban if it is needed.:#The detainee was recruited to fight the Northern Alliance and was financed for his trip to Afghanistan from Jessah, Saudi Arabia by a Taliban member.:#The detainee fired his weapon in the direction of what he believed was the enemy.

The following primary factors favor release or transfer:

:"'a. Other Relevant Data:#The detainne advised if given the opportunity to return to his home of Jetta, Saudi Arabia, he would get married, obtain a job, and live with his mother and father.:#The detainee advised he does not hold any hostility or hatred toward the United States.:#The detainee was provided misinformation in the local mosque which he was attending in Saudi Arabia. It was there he was told the aggressors in Afghanistan were not Muslims.

Second annual Administrative Review Board

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Ziad Said Farq Jahdari'sAdministrative Review Board, on
3 February 2006.cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_2_Factors_399-498.pdf#54
title=Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Jahdari, Ziad Said Farq
date=3 February 2006
pages=pages 54-56
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-04-25] The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

The following primary factors favor continued detention:

:"'a. Commitment:#The detainee was designated a high priority target and placed on a foreign government's watch list for his trip to Chechnya.:#The detainee traveled from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Karachi, Pakistan. From Karachni he went to Quetta, Pakistan. The detainee then departed Quetta for Kandahar, Afghanistan. After a short stay in Kandahar, the detainee arrived in Kabul, Afghanistan.:#The detainee stood guard duty at an Afghan and Arab guesthouse.

:"'b. Training::The detainee trained with a Kalishnikov sic for one day. He fired his weapon approximately twelve times.

:"'c. Connections/Associations:#The detainee's name was found on a list of al Qaida Mujahidin recovered from various computer media in al Qaida safehouses.:#Another detainee claims the detainee was at al Farouq, Kabul and Tora Bora.

:"'d. Intent::The detainee admitted he went to Afghanistan to fight the Northern Alliance.

:"'e. Other Relevant Data::The detainee was on the second line of defense for approximately three months. At one point, the detainee and four or five other fighters moved from the second line to the front line for one day. While on the front line the detainee fired the Kalishnikov once in the direction of what he believed was the location of the enemy. He did not actually see any of the enemy troops.

The following primary factors favor release or transfer:

:

Transcript

The Department of Defense did not publish a summarized transcript of the unclassified session of the hearing.The Department of Defense did not explain why it did not publish a summarized transcript of the unclassified session of the hearing.

The Board's decision report memo records that the Assisting Military Officersummarized the captive's response to the factors.

The Board's decision report memo records that the Assisting Military Officer reported that the captive felt attending the hearing would be pointless.quotation
"The AMO informed the board that during the ARB interview the EC appeared frustrated when asked if he wished ot personally appear at the ARB and he fidgeted in his chair and said, "what's the use, I've already given all my statements and I still have to be here."

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#1
title=Administrative Review Board assessment and recommendation ICO ISN 286
date=15 May 2006
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-04-25
pages=page 1] cite web
url=http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/ARB_Round_2_Decision_memos_266-358.pdf#2
title=Classified Record of Proceedings and basis of Administrative Review Board recommendation for ISN 286
date=17 April 2006
author=OARDEC
publisher=United States Department of Defense
accessdate=2008-04-25
pages=pages 2-11] The Board's recommendation was unanimousThe Board's recommendation was redacted.England authorized his transfer on August 14 2006.

His Board convened twice, on 10 February 2006 and 17 April 2006.His Board recommended that he "continues to be a threat"."

His Board considered assessments fromthe office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Detainee Affairs, the CIA, the FBI,the Criminal Investigation Task Force, Joint Task Force Guantanamo,the United States Southern Commandand the Office of Military Commissions.

Repatriation

According to The Saudi Repatriates Report Jahdari 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]

References