Swar Khan, also known as Swatkhan Bahar (born c. 1970), is a citizen of Afghanistan, who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States's Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.[1]
| Swar Khan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1970 (age 53–54) Khost |
| Released | 2006-10-11 Afghanistan |
| Citizenship | Afghanistan |
| Detained at | Guantanamo |
| Other name(s) | Swatkhan Bahar |
| ISN | 933 |
| Status | Repatriated |
Khan was a security official for the Hamid Karzai government prior to his capture.[2] His boss told reporters that his capture was due to false denunciations from a jealous rival, whose sons worked as interpreters for the Americans, and that he had tried to tell the Americans he should be set free—without success.
Writ of habeas corpus
editKhan had a writ of habeas corpus, Swat Khan v. Bush, filed on his behalf in Maryland in 2005.[3] He was represented by James Wyda and Martin Bahl, Federal Public Defenders in Maryland.
Repatriation
editKhan was transferred to Afghanistan on October 11, 2006.[4]
McClatchy interview
editOn June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service published articles based on interviews with 66 former Guantanamo detainees. Khan was one of the interviewees.[2]
Tom Lasseter, the lead McClatchy reporter, wrote that while his Tribunal President ruled that even though he had offered their phone numbers the witnesses he requested were not 'reasonably available' but McClatchy reporters "had little trouble" phoning one of them, his boss Mohammed Mustafa, at the Afghan Interior Ministry. Mustafa confirmed that Khan had been falsely denounced by a rival in the Afghan security services.
"There was no proof against him, nothing indicating he was involved with these sorts of activities," Mustafa said. "I went to the Americans' base and asked them to release him, but they wouldn't."
Khan spoke about being beaten in Bagram, and being hung from the ceiling by his wrists in an isolation cell.[2]
Khan described attempting suicide twice in Guantanamo.[2] Following his repatriation, the Governor of his province offered him another position as a police officer, but he declined.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 2006-05-15.
- ^ a b c d Tom Lasseter (June 15, 2008). "Guantanamo Inmate Database: Swatkahn Bahar". McClatchy News Service. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009. Retrieved 2008-06-15.
- ^ "CORRECTED AMICUS CURIAE BRIEF OF FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER HABEAS CORPUS COUNSEL IN SUPPORT OF PETITIONERS'/APPELLANTS' POSITION ON THE JURISDICTIONAL IMPACT OF THE DETAINEE TREATMENT ACT OF 2005" (PDF). United States Department of Justice. 2006-03-10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Search Results for "933" - The Guantánamo Docket". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12.