Cyrus Kar
Encyclopedia
Cyrus Kar is an Iran
ian-born American
film director
, part-time professor at the University of Phoenix
, and now-vindicated alleged terrorist
who was captured by United States
forces in Iraq
on May 17,
2005, while filming a documentary on the life of Cyrus The Great
.
On July 10, 2005, he was released from custody after his family sued
, accusing the U.S. government of violating his civil rights
and detaining him after his clearance by the FBI. He was accused of smuggling washing machine
timers for use in improvised explosive devices in a taxi he was riding in to Baghdad
.
, his family moved to Germany when he was two and then to America when he was five where he was brought up in the American culture. He returned to Iran at the age of nine, where, barring one year in Germany, he lived until returning to America at the age of 14. He attended kindergarten and elementary school in Utah
, high school in Washington and subsequently entered the Navy
, attaining the rank of Third Class Petty Officer
.
After leaving the Navy, he attained degrees from San Jose State University
and Pepperdine University
. He also worked in Silicon Valley
for 13 years before embarking on a film career.
(Persian King) and visited England
, Germany
, Iran
, Turkey
, Afghanistan
, and Tajikistan
for shooting before obtaining permission from the US government to visit Iraq. He arrived in the country on May 7, 2005 and was arrested after 10 days of filming on May 17 by Iraqi security forces before being handed over to US forces. He was then taken to Abu Ghraib
prison before eventually ending up in Camp Cropper
, where he spent the remainder of his incarceration in solitary confinement. According to the ACLU, he had been permitted three phone calls and a visit from the ICRC
.
On July 6, the American Civil Liberties Union
filed a petition for habeas corpus
on Kar's behalf. On July 10, he was released from military custody.
On an August 24, 2005 segment on the Nightline television show Kar described painful and humiliating abuse from US personnel, while in custody in Iraq.
and other military officials, calling the government's detention policies unconstitutional.
He also claimed that he was hooded, threatened, taunted and insulted by US soldiers. The lawsuit said his detention violated his Civil rights
, Geneva conventions
as well as International law
. "Human rights monitors note that the vast majority of the over 15,000 detainees in U.S. military custody in Iraq have never been charged, tried, provided counsel, or allowed to challenge their detention in court, and over one-fifth of them have been detained for over a year in this manner," the suit states. "Mr. Kar was imprisoned by the United States military in Iraq without the slightest hint of legal authority," said Mark Rosenbaum, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is filing the lawsuit on his behalf. "Saddam Hussein has had more due process than Cyrus Kar; this is a detention policy that was drafted by Kafka
." The lawsuit was dropped in July, 2008 after the US Army Field Manual FM 3-24 adopted Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention governing U.S. detention operations.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, part-time professor at the University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
, and now-vindicated alleged terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
who was captured by United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forces in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
on May 17,
2005, while filming a documentary on the life of Cyrus The Great
Cyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
.
On July 10, 2005, he was released from custody after his family sued
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
, accusing the U.S. government of violating his civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
and detaining him after his clearance by the FBI. He was accused of smuggling washing machine
Washing machine
A washing machine is a machine designed to wash laundry, such as clothing, towels and sheets...
timers for use in improvised explosive devices in a taxi he was riding in to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
Early life
Although born in IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, his family moved to Germany when he was two and then to America when he was five where he was brought up in the American culture. He returned to Iran at the age of nine, where, barring one year in Germany, he lived until returning to America at the age of 14. He attended kindergarten and elementary school in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, high school in Washington and subsequently entered the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
, attaining the rank of Third Class Petty Officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
.
After leaving the Navy, he attained degrees from San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
and Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University
Pepperdine University is an independent, private, medium-sized university affiliated with the Churches of Christ. The university's campus overlooking the Pacific Ocean in unincorporated Los Angeles County, California, United States, near Malibu, is the location for Seaver College, the School of...
. He also worked in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
for 13 years before embarking on a film career.
Controversy
Kar began working on a documentary film about his namesake Cyrus the GreatCyrus the Great
Cyrus II of Persia , commonly known as Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire. Under his rule, the empire embraced all the previous civilized states of the ancient Near East, expanded vastly and eventually conquered most of Southwest Asia and much...
(Persian King) and visited England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
for shooting before obtaining permission from the US government to visit Iraq. He arrived in the country on May 7, 2005 and was arrested after 10 days of filming on May 17 by Iraqi security forces before being handed over to US forces. He was then taken to Abu Ghraib
Abu Ghraib
The city of Abu Ghraib in the Baghdad Governorate of Iraq is located just west of Baghdad's city center, or northwest of Baghdad International Airport. It has a population of 189,000. The old road to Jordan passes through Abu Ghraib...
prison before eventually ending up in Camp Cropper
Camp Cropper
Camp Cropper is a holding facility for security detainees operated by the United States Army near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq. The facility was initially operated as a high-value detention site , but has since been expanded increasing its capacity from 163 to 2,000 detainees...
, where he spent the remainder of his incarceration in solitary confinement. According to the ACLU, he had been permitted three phone calls and a visit from the ICRC
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
.
On July 6, the American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
filed a petition for 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 Kar's behalf. On July 10, he was released from military custody.
On an August 24, 2005 segment on the Nightline television show Kar described painful and humiliating abuse from US personnel, while in custody in Iraq.
Lawsuit
On July 7, 2006 Kar sued Secretary of Defense Donald RumsfeldDonald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
and other military officials, calling the government's detention policies unconstitutional.
He also claimed that he was hooded, threatened, taunted and insulted by US soldiers. The lawsuit said his detention violated his Civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, Geneva conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
as well as International law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
. "Human rights monitors note that the vast majority of the over 15,000 detainees in U.S. military custody in Iraq have never been charged, tried, provided counsel, or allowed to challenge their detention in court, and over one-fifth of them have been detained for over a year in this manner," the suit states. "Mr. Kar was imprisoned by the United States military in Iraq without the slightest hint of legal authority," said Mark Rosenbaum, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union, which is filing the lawsuit on his behalf. "Saddam Hussein has had more due process than Cyrus Kar; this is a detention policy that was drafted by Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
." The lawsuit was dropped in July, 2008 after the US Army Field Manual FM 3-24 adopted Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention governing U.S. detention operations.
External links
- Filmmaker and cameraman released after being held for 54 days, Internation Freedom of Expression eXchangeInternational Freedom of Expression ExchangeThe International Freedom of Expression eXchange , founded in 1992, is a global network of around 90 non-governmental organisations that promotes and defends the right to freedom of expression....
, July 10, 2005 - Detaining Cyrus Kar, TalkLeft, July 6, 2005
- In Search Cyrus the Great - Cyrus Kar, Spenta Productions, October 8, 2006
- Spenta Productions | In Search of Cyrus the Great