Richard Belmar
Encyclopedia
Richard Dean Belmar is a British
man (born 31 October 1979, in London
, England) who was held in extrajudicial detention
in the United States
's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
. He was first detained in Pakistan in 2002 and sent to Bagram Theater Internment Facility
, then Guantanamo. He was not charged, and was returned to the United Kingdom on 25 January 2005.
, London. He has a sister and an older brother. His father is Catholic, and he attended St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School
. He trained as a mechanic and worked for the Post Office. He converted to Islam in 1999, after his elder brother.
He spent some time in Pakistan, and says he travelled to Afghanistan to study at a religious school in July 2001.
. He says he walked across the mountains, reaching Pakistan in December 2001. He returned to Karachi, and says he did not contact the British Consulate as he thought that anyone who had been in Afghanistan was at risk of arrest.
US officials said Belmar was captured at an al Qaeda safe house in Pakistan in February 2002. His family was told in October 2002 that he had been taken into custody due to an expired visa, and in December 2002 they were told he had been transferred to Guantánamo Bay.
In Pakistan, an FBI/CIA team investigating the murder of Daniel Pearl
interrogated Belmar. A senior US official told The Observer that he recommended Belmar be released back to the UK, but MI5 officers who interviewed Belmar in Karachi decided against recruiting him, so he was sent instead to Bagram. En route to Bagram, Belmar says he was struck on the back of the head, leaving a dent. He was held and interrogated at Bagram for more than six months, then sent to Guantanamo.
on 25 January 2005, along with Moazzam Begg
, Martin Mubanga
and Feroz Abbasi
, where he was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000
and briefly questioned at Paddington Green police station, before being released. The police decided that confessions given to MI5
officers were not admissible evidence.
In an interview after his release, he retracted what he said during interrogation, including having heard Bin Laden speak. He claims to have been beaten and sexually humiliated during interrogations, and to have been hung in the strappado
position. His father has said that "They have said he was in Afghanistan in 1998 studying chemicals at the terrorists' base but I know he was in London."
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
man (born 31 October 1979, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England) who was held 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...
's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, 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...
. He was first detained in Pakistan in 2002 and sent to Bagram Theater Internment Facility
Bagram Theater Internment Facility
The Parwan Detention Facility , also called the Bagram Theater Internment Facility, is a United States-run prison located next to Bagram Airfield in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan.It was formerly known as the Bagram Collection Point...
, then Guantanamo. He was not charged, and was returned to the United Kingdom on 25 January 2005.
Personal life
Belmar was born and brought up in MaryleboneMarylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
, London. He has a sister and an older brother. His father is Catholic, and he attended St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School
St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School
St George's Roman Catholic Secondary School is a secondary school situated in Maida Vale, London, England. It made the headlines in December 1995 following the murder of head teacher Philip Lawrence, who was stabbed to death when he tried to break up a fight between the school's pupils and a local...
. He trained as a mechanic and worked for the Post Office. He converted to Islam in 1999, after his elder brother.
He spent some time in Pakistan, and says he travelled to Afghanistan to study at a religious school in July 2001.
Detention
In a letter he wrote to his family 10 days after the September 11 attacks, Belmar described living under a regime of "bad food" and intense physical training. Belmar says he was in Kandahar, and tried to leave Afghanistan five times, once disguising himself in a burqaBurqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
. He says he walked across the mountains, reaching Pakistan in December 2001. He returned to Karachi, and says he did not contact the British Consulate as he thought that anyone who had been in Afghanistan was at risk of arrest.
US officials said Belmar was captured at an al Qaeda safe house in Pakistan in February 2002. His family was told in October 2002 that he had been taken into custody due to an expired visa, and in December 2002 they were told he had been transferred to Guantánamo Bay.
In Pakistan, an FBI/CIA team investigating the murder of Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl
Daniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
interrogated Belmar. A senior US official told The Observer that he recommended Belmar be released back to the UK, but MI5 officers who interviewed Belmar in Karachi decided against recruiting him, so he was sent instead to Bagram. En route to Bagram, Belmar says he was struck on the back of the head, leaving a dent. He was held and interrogated at Bagram for more than six months, then sent to Guantanamo.
Release
Like the other nine UK citizens held at Guantanamo Bay, he was repatriated to the UK. He was flown into RAF NortholtRAF Northolt
RAF Northolt is a Royal Air Force station situated in South Ruislip, east by northeast of Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. Approximately north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights...
on 25 January 2005, along with Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg
Moazzam Begg , is a British Pakistani Muslim who was held in extrajudicial detention in the Bagram Theater Internment Facility and the Guantanamo Bay detainment camp, in Cuba, by the U.S...
, Martin Mubanga
Martin Mubanga
Martin Mubanga is a joint citizen of both the United Kingdom and Zambia. He was held, without charge, and interrogated at the American prison at Guantanamo Bay for 33 months....
and Feroz Abbasi
Feroz Abbasi
Feroz Abbasi is one of nine British men who were held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba. He was released from detention on 25 January 2005 along with Moazzam Begg, Martin Mubanga and Richard Belmar, the other five having previously been...
, where he was arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland Act 1996...
and briefly questioned at Paddington Green police station, before being released. The police decided that confessions given to MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
officers were not admissible evidence.
In an interview after his release, he retracted what he said during interrogation, including having heard Bin Laden speak. He claims to have been beaten and sexually humiliated during interrogations, and to have been hung in the strappado
Strappado
Strappado is a form of torture in which the victim's hands are first tied behind their back and suspended in the air by means of a rope attached to wrists, which most likely dislocates both arms...
position. His father has said that "They have said he was in Afghanistan in 1998 studying chemicals at the terrorists' base but I know he was in London."