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Guantanamo Prisoner Denies Interrogator Statements<br><br>
DOW JONES NEWSWIRES <br>
October 6, 2004 4:36 p.m.<br><br>
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP)--A Yemeni prisoner<br>
accused of being Osama bin Laden's errand boy appeared<br>
before a review hearing Wednesday, rejecting statements<br>
made by an interrogator and saying he had been mistreated<br>
by U.S. troops in Guantanamo and Afghanistan.<br><br>
The bearded and shackled prisoner with bloodshot eyes has<br>
been held at the outpost for nearly three years and is<br>
accused of training at an al-Qaida terrorist camp in<br>
Afghanistan in 1995. He was also accused of running errands<br>
for bin Laden and fighting for the terror network.<br><br>
The man, who journalists are prohibited from naming, said<br>
he was studying until 1996 in Yemen, married in 2000 and<br>
moved to Pakistan and Afghanistan to teach the Quran. He<br>
denied being a member of al-Qaida or having connections<br>
with Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime. He also said he<br>
never fought against U.S. or coalition forces, and never<br>
received any weapons training.<br><br>
"I stayed in Afghanistan for about a year," the
25-year-old<br>
said through an Arabic translator and before a three-member<br>
panel charged with deciding whether some 550 prisoners are<br>
being properly held as enemy combatants, a classification<br>
with fewer legal protections than prisoners of war.<br><br>
"I don't understand how a person in a year can become such<br>
an important person, a guard or someone who runs errands.<br>
You know more about the Taliban than me."<br><br>
There have been more than 135 cases that have gone before<br>
the tribunals since they began July 30, a little more than<br>
a month after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Guantanamo<br>
prisoners have a right to challenge their detentions in<br>
federal courts. Only one man has been freed.<br><br>
The review hearings are separate from the military<br>
commissions meant to try charged prisoners, but both<br>
proceedings have come under attack by lawyers and human<br>
rights groups.<br><br>
One of the criticisms over the review hearings is that the<br>
prisoners are only allowed to hear the unclassified<br>
evidence against them. Another criticism is that some of<br>
the information came from murky sources, or through<br>
interrogations.<br><br>
One allegation the prisoner took issue with was a statement<br>
from an interrogator that the prisoner wrote a letter<br>
stating his intention to become a religious martyr, which<br>
was allegedly found in the car of bin Laden's driver and<br>
guard.<br><br>
"I never wrote such a letter and I would like to know what<br>
interrogator provided this information," said the prisoner,<br>
shackled to the floor of a trailer that was previously used<br>
as an interrogation chamber.<br><br>
Another accusation was that he spent time with bin Laden<br>
and was often seen by his side.<br><br>
"What is a long time? Who saw me with bin Laden?" he
asked<br>
the tribunal president, who shrugged. The identities of the<br>
panel members aren't disclosed. "Are you trying to make me<br>
an enemy combatant?" the man asked.<br><br>
The man said he was studying at an religious institute in<br>
Yemen until 1996, when he was 17-years-old. After he<br>
married, he moved to Afghanistan so he could teach in Khost<br>
but his wife stayed at a house in the former<br>
Taliban-controlled city of Kandahar.<br><br>
When the war began he said he decided to go back to Yemen,<br>
but he first tried to get to Khost to say goodbye to his<br>
students and pick up books and other belongings. The road,<br>
however, was blocked because of the fighting so he made his<br>
way to Pakistan where he was captured.<br><br>
After more than a week in a Pakistani jail, he was put in<br>
U.S. custody in Kandahar.<br><br>
"We were tortured in Kandahar," he said, not elaborating.<br>
"As soon as we were brought to Cuba , and up until now,<br>
we're still being pressured and mentally coerced. I had<br>
heard the United States was a friend of human rights, a<br>
friend of justice, but since we've been imprisoned, we've<br>
seen the exact opposite of that. We've found no justice<br>
here."<br><br>
Visibly frustrated over the source of allegations against<br>
him, the man said, "This is the first time I've been in a<br>
court like this."<br><br>
Although the hearings are open to the media, most go<br>
uncovered because there are more proceedings taking place -<br>
seven were scheduled for Wednesday - and journalists are<br>
not allowed to stay on the base for extended periods of<br>
time.<br><br>
Unclassified portions of the government's allegations are<br>
provided to media who don't attend hearings but the<br>
prisoner's testimony - which often contradicts many of the<br>
government's allegations - isn't provided.<br><br>
Another Yemini detainee, accused by the military of being<br>
an al-Qaida associate, was the second to go before the<br>
review panel Wednesday. The 21-year-old has been at<br>
Guantanamo more than two years.<br><br>
He allegedly traveled to Pakistan in 2001 and was captured<br>
at Crescent Mill Guest House in Faisalabad, Pakistan. A<br>
senior al-Qaida lieutenant looked at a photograph of the<br>
detainee and said he might have possibly seen him in<br>
Afghanistan, the military said.<br><br>
The detainee didn't get an opportunity to answer the<br>
charges because the three-member panel postponed the<br>
session while they reviewed a new 150-page document of<br>
evidence. The detainee, wearing a white skull cap and khaki<br>
prison garb, remained shackled to the floor during the<br>
adjournment.<br><br>
He is one of 60 detainees who have filed lawsuits in<br>
federal courts challenging their detention.<br><br>
The panels have ordered only one prisoner released, to<br>
Pakistan. More than 64 men have been ordered held as enemy<br>
combatants while the other cases are pending.<br><br>
All cases of the some 550 prisoners are to be reviewed by<br>
the end of the year.<br><br>
On Tuesday, six cases went before the tribunals, including<br>
two men who boycotted the proceedings, a Saudi who said he<br>
received training to fight in Chechnya and a 30-year-old<br>
who claims he was forced to join the Taliban in Tajikistan.<br>
The other cases were still pending.<br>
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