Ahcene Zemiri
Encyclopedia
Hassan Zumiri is an Algeria
n citizen who spent eight years in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
s, in Cuba
.
by Canadian security officials in 2004.
In the tapes a distraught Khadr stripped off his shirt to show his wounds, which he claimed were not being treated.
He breaks down and cries, and when he is left alone, he appeared to repeat "kill me, kill me, kill me."
The publication of the tapes stirred controversy.
On July 27, 2008 Michelle Shephard
, writing in the Toronto Star
, reporting that other Canadian security officials had interviewed Ahcene Zemiri, Djamel Ameziane
and Mohamedou Ould Slahi
, three other Guantanamo captives who had lived in Canada.
,
in which he said he wanted to "clarify" his allegations against Zemiri.
Coughenour was the Judge who sentenced Ressam.
Ressam wrote:
Ressam explained the incorrect information he had previously offered American intelligence analysts was because he
"was in shock and had a severe psychological disorder
Ressam was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment. He was believed to be about to receive a life sentence, which was reduced because he cooperated by naming other suspects, like Zemiri.
According to Jim Dorsey, Zemiri's lawyer, "This letter undercuts what is the most damning allegation against my client by far." Dorsey forwarded a copy of Ressam's letter to "American military officials".
organized a program of finding American lawyers who would agree to serve as the lawyers for Guantanamo captives, while serving writs of habeas corpus
on their behalf.
Lawyers from the firm Fredrikson & Byron agreed to serve pro bono as Ahcene Zemiri's lawyers.
Both men were interviewed by Canadian security officials before leaving Canada for Afghanistan. The men's lawyers argued that the notes from the men's Canadian interviews would have been relied on by the Americans, when building their own dossiers against the two men. They had requested the Canadian evidence in order to make their case for the men's freedom in the US Justice system.
Justice Edmond Blanchard
ruled that since the men weren't Canadian citizens, and their connection to Canada was "tenuous", the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
didn't apply to them.
Zemiri live for seven years in Canada, and his wife and son are Canadian citizens. The Supreme Court of Canada
had ruled that the Canadian government should publish classified documents the Americans had shared about Canadian citizen Omar Khadr.
Nathan Whitling
one of the men's Canadian lawyers, predicted that the men's American habeas corpus cases would have been heard before the appeal he planne of Blanchard's ruling.
Carol Rosenberg
, writing in the Miami Herald, reported that it was not clear whether the two men had been sent home as free men, or whether they were simply transferred to Algerian custody.
She noted that two other Algerian men had been granted Asylum, in France
, because they had reason to fear a return home.
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n citizen who spent eight years in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a detainment and interrogation facility of the United States located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 by the Bush Administration to hold detainees from the war in Afghanistan and later Iraq...
s, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Interrogated by Canadian Security officials in Guantanamo
In mid July Canadian courts compelled the Canadian government to make available tapes made of the interrogation of Canadian youth Omar KhadrOmar Khadr
Omar Ahmed Khadr is a Canadian child soldier and one of the juveniles held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He was convicted of five charges under the United States Military Commissions Act of 2009 including murder in violation of the law of war and providing material support for terrorism,...
by Canadian security officials in 2004.
In the tapes a distraught Khadr stripped off his shirt to show his wounds, which he claimed were not being treated.
He breaks down and cries, and when he is left alone, he appeared to repeat "kill me, kill me, kill me."
The publication of the tapes stirred controversy.
On July 27, 2008 Michelle Shephard
Michelle Shephard
Michelle Shephard is an investigative reporter with the Toronto Star newspaper in Canada. She has been awarded the Michener Award for public service journalism and twice won Canada's top newspaper prize, the National Newspaper Award. In 2011, she was an associate producer on an Oscar-nominated...
, writing in the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, reporting that other Canadian security officials had interviewed Ahcene Zemiri, Djamel Ameziane
Djamel Ameziane
Barry Clarke, Bishop of the Anglican diocese of Montreal, which is helping to sponsor Ameziane, wrote about how he responded to Canadians critical of the Church's initiative on Ameziane's behalf.He called Ameziane's captivity in Guantanamo "an injustice"....
and Mohamedou Ould Slahi
Mohamedou Ould Slahi
Mohamedou Ould Slahi or Salahi is a Mauritanian who has been detained at Guantánamo Bay detention camp since August 4, 2002...
, three other Guantanamo captives who had lived in Canada.
Ressam 'clarifies' his allegations against Zemiri
Ressam wrote a letter in November 2006, to U.S. District Court Judge John C. CoughenourJohn C. Coughenour
John C. Coughenour is a U.S. District Court Judge.He was appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981.Before being appointed as a judge, Coughenour was a leading litigator with Bogle & Gates and has taught trial and appellate practice at the University of Washington School of Law.-Education:-Legal...
,
in which he said he wanted to "clarify" his allegations against Zemiri.
Coughenour was the Judge who sentenced Ressam.
Ressam wrote:
- "Mr. Hassan Zemiry is innocent and has no relation or connection to the operation I was about to carry out. He also did not know anything about it and he did not assist me in anything, It is true that I have borrowed some money and a camera from him, but this was only a personal loan between me and him. It has nothing to do with my case..."
- "It is not right or just to accuse somebody of something not true."
Ressam explained the incorrect information he had previously offered American intelligence analysts was because he
"was in shock and had a severe psychological disorder
Ressam was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment. He was believed to be about to receive a life sentence, which was reduced because he cooperated by naming other suspects, like Zemiri.
According to Jim Dorsey, Zemiri's lawyer, "This letter undercuts what is the most damning allegation against my client by far." Dorsey forwarded a copy of Ressam's letter to "American military officials".
Writ of habeas corpus
The Center for Constitutional RightsCenter for Constitutional Rights
Al Odah v. United States:Al Odah is the latest in a series of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of people imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The case challenges the Military Commissions system’s suitability as a habeas corpus substitute and the legality, in general, of detention at...
organized a program of finding American lawyers who would agree to serve as the lawyers for Guantanamo captives, while serving writs of habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
on their behalf.
Lawyers from the firm Fredrikson & Byron agreed to serve pro bono as Ahcene Zemiri's lawyers.
Appeal for the release of evidence through the Canadian Justice System
Ahcene Zemiri and Mohammedou Slahi appealed through the Canadian Justice system for the release of classified documents about these two former Canadian residents.Both men were interviewed by Canadian security officials before leaving Canada for Afghanistan. The men's lawyers argued that the notes from the men's Canadian interviews would have been relied on by the Americans, when building their own dossiers against the two men. They had requested the Canadian evidence in order to make their case for the men's freedom in the US Justice system.
Justice Edmond Blanchard
Edmond Blanchard
Edmond P. Blanchard, QC is a Canadian jurist and former politician.Blanchard studied at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1975 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1978...
ruled that since the men weren't Canadian citizens, and their connection to Canada was "tenuous", the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act, 1982...
didn't apply to them.
Zemiri live for seven years in Canada, and his wife and son are Canadian citizens. The Supreme Court of Canada
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, and its decisions...
had ruled that the Canadian government should publish classified documents the Americans had shared about Canadian citizen Omar Khadr.
Nathan Whitling
Nathan Whitling
A Canadian attorney from Edmonton, Alberta, Nathan Whitling became widely known for his defense of Omar Khadr who was held in the American Guantanamo Bay detention camps.-References:...
one of the men's Canadian lawyers, predicted that the men's American habeas corpus cases would have been heard before the appeal he planne of Blanchard's ruling.
Return to Algeria
Ahcene Zemiri and Adil Hadi al Jazairi Bin Hamlili were repatriated to Algeria on January 20, 2010.Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg
Carol Rosenberg is a senior journalist, currently with the McClatchy News Service.Rosenberg works at the Miami Herald, which has provided extensive coverage of the operation of the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.-Biography:...
, writing in the Miami Herald, reported that it was not clear whether the two men had been sent home as free men, or whether they were simply transferred to Algerian custody.
She noted that two other Algerian men had been granted Asylum, in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, because they had reason to fear a return home.
External links
- Two Algerian Torture Victims Are Freed from Guantánamo Andy Worthington