Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Sadi

Amir Hamudi Hasan al-Saadi or Amer al-Saadi (born April 5, 1938), "the organizational genius behind the Iraqi superweapons program,"cite web |url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3340773/ |title= Iraqi negotiator was Saddam’s favorite: Superweapons czar led talks on inspections with Blix |author= Robert Windrem |work= MSNBC |date= October 24, 2003 |quote= ] was Saddam Hussein's liaison with the UN inspectors in the runup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Like the defector Hussein Kamel, he insisted Iraq had destroyed its prohibited weapons. While he was dismissed by the US as a liar, he was vindicated by the subsequent failure to uncover weapons of mass destruction by the Iraqi Survey Group.

He was #32 on the most-wanted list, and seven of diamonds in the card deck.

Detainment

He turned himself in to coalition forces on April 12, 2003, with the help of ZDF journalists who he asked to monitor and document his surrender. He was detained in Baghdad International Airport as a "High Value Detainee". As such he has been subjected to solitary confinement for 23 hours a day. The International Committee of the Red Cross stated in its confidential report to the coalition authority that this constituted a "serious violation of the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions". He was both the first person on the most wanted list to turn himself in, and the first to be detained by the U.S.

He remains in solitary as of May 5, 2004.

According to a written Parliamentary answer [http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/cm200405/cmhansrd/cm050204/text/50204w22.htm] by Dennis Mcshane MP to Angus Robertson MP, Amer Al Saadi was released by the US on 18 January 2005. However, as detailed [http://lefti.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_lefti_archive.html#113130270897728782 here] , this claim is highly dubious. A June 20, 2005 [http://www.newsweek.com/id/50130 Newsweek article] reported that a "State Department official...denied al-Sadi had been freed from custody," while in July, 2005 (i.e., well after January), Dr. Rod Barton, an Australian scientist who was a key deputy to Dr. Charles Duelfer, made a strong plea for the release of Dr. al-Saadi, which would certainly indicate that someone in a position to know still believed him to be held.

al-Saadi's [http://lefti.blogspot.com/2005_11_01_lefti_archive.html#113130270897728782 key role] in refuting U.S. allegations of Iraqi WMD, including those of Colin Powell at the United Nations, almost certainly play a key role in his continued detention.

Career

He was awarded a PhD is in physical chemistry from Battersea College of Technology. During his study he married a German in London in October 1963; their common language is English. Mrs al-Saadi raised their children in Hamburg.

He retired a lieutenant general in 1994 and was made a presidential scientific advisor.

He was not a member of the Ba'ath Party.

Family

His younger brother Radhwan al-Saadi worked in Iraq's oil ministry and is now head of its finance department.

References

* February 2004 Report of the ICRC on treatment by coalition forces in Iraq

External links

* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1209574,00.html Why being right on WMD is no consolation to Iraqi scientist labelled enemy of America] ("Guardian")