Shafiq Rasul
Shafiq Rasul (born April 15, 1977 in Dudley, West Midlands, England) is best known for being a detainee held at Guantanamo Bay by the United States, which treated him an unlawful combatant. His detainee ID number was 86.
![](../I/m/page1-220px-ISN_00086%2C_Shafiq_Rasul's_Guantanamo_detainee_assessment.pdf.jpg)
His family discovered his detention when the British Foreign Office contacted them on January 21, 2002. He was released in March 2004, shortly after his return to the United Kingdom, more than three months before Rasul v. Bush was decided.[1]
In August 2004, Rasul, Asif Iqbal, and Ruhal Ahmed, all from Tipton, compiled a report on their abuse and humiliation while in US custody.[2]
In Rasul v. Rumsfeld, plaintiffs Rasul, Asif Iqbal, Ruhal Ahmed, and Jamal Al-Harith, four former Guantánamo Bay detainees, sued former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They charge that illegal interrogation tactics were permitted to be used against them by Secretary Rumsfeld and the military chain of command.
The Hague Justice Portal gives access to the official Court documents related to the Rasul v. Bush case.[3][4][5]
In late February 2017, ISIL spokesmen issued a press release, stating that Jamal al-Harith, another former Guantanamo captive, had traveled to Iraq, and had used a suicide bomb to attack a military site there.[6] Rasul denounced the attack, asserted that there was "no excuse" for the attack, and that he had been able to move past his experiences, and didn't understand why al-Harith hadn't.
See also
- Road to Guantanamo
- Tipton Three
- Torture
References
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"Five of nine Britons released from Guantanamo Bay". BBC News. 2004-03-09. Archived from the original on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2017-02-25.
He travelled to Pakistan in October 2001, apparently for a computer course, and his family lost contact with him in December.
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"Britons allege Guantanamo abuse". BBC News. 2004-08-04. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
Mr Rasul was actually working in a Curry's electronics store in the West Midlands at the time the video was filmed, the report says.
- Joe Margulies (2002). "Rasul v. Bush" (PDF). The Hague Justice Portal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- Robert Okun (2002-03-18). "Rasul v. Bush" (PDF). The Hague Justice Portal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
- Colleen Kollar-Kotelly (2002-07-30). "Rasul v. Bush" (PDF). The Hague Justice Portal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2012-10-14.
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Phil Cardy (2017-02-25). "Former Guantanamo detainee condemns Brit suicide bomber as smiling terrorist's family claim US military prison stint 'changed him'". The Mirror (UK). Archived from the original on 2017-02-25.
But speaking at his West Midlands home Rasul said there was "no excuse" for Harith's actions. He said: "It is absolutely terrible what he has done. I've no idea what made him do it. Guantanamo was terrible. I have been able to move on. I don't know why he wasn't."
External links
- Guantanamo Bay guard meets 'Tipton 3' ex-prisoners video from the BBC, 12 January 2010
- U.S. High Court Rejects Appeal Alleging Torture at Guantanamo Bloomberg, December 14, 2009
- Vikram Dodd, Tania Branigan (January 12, 2005). "Health fears for 'torture victims'". The Guardian.
- Composite statement: Detention in Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay Shafiq Rasul, Asif Iqbal and Rhuhel Ahmed