:Haroon al-Afghani
{{short description|Afghan-Pakistani citizen (born 1980)}}
{{Infobox War on Terror detainee
| name = Asadullah Haroon Gul
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1981}}[https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/82420-isn-10028-haroon-al-afghani-jtf-gtmo-detainee/002210a4ebfe33f8/full.pdf Detainee Assessment] Department of Defense{{cite web|url=https://www.prs.mil/Portals/60/Documents/ISN3148/20160301_U_ISN3148_GOVERNMENTS_UNCLASSIFIED_SUMMARY_PUBLIC.pdf|title=Guantanamo Detainee Profile, Detainee ISN: AF-3148|date=March 1, 2016|website=prs.mil}}
| birth_place = Sherzad District, Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan
| date_of_arrest = 4 February 2007
| place_of_arrest= Jalalabad, Afghanistan
| arresting_authority= National Directorate of Security
| date_of_release =
| place_of_release=
| death_date =
| death_place =
| citizenship = Pakistan
| detained_at = Guantanamo
{{cite news
| url = http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo
| title = The Detainees
| work = New York Times
| date = 2008-11-23
| accessdate = 2008-12-02
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081106102122/http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo
| archive-date = 2008-11-06
}}
| group =
| alias = Haroon al-Afghani
| charge = None
| penalty =
| status = Released
| csrt_summary =
| csrt_transcript=
| occupation = Trader of household goods
| spouse = Unknown wife
| parents =
| children = Unknown daughter
|image=ISN 10028 Harun al-Afghanistani.jpg|caption=A portrait of Haroon gul}}
Asadullah Haroon Gul (born 1981),[http://www.reprieve.org/guantanamo-bay/haroon-gul/ Haroon Gul] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203064203/http://www.reprieve.org/guantanamo-bay/haroon-gul/ |date=2017-02-03 }}, Reprieve US{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/10/us/politics/asadullah-haroon-gul.html|title=U.S. Defends Detention of Afghan at Guantánamo Despite Pullout|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 May 2021|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Carol}} commonly referred to as Haroon al-Afghani ("the Afghani"), is an Afghan citizen who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba.
{{cite news
| url = http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/06/afghan-terror-suspect-transferred-to.php
| date = June 22, 2007
| publisher = The Jurist
| title = Afghan terror suspect transferred to Guantanamo Bay prison
| author = Gabriel Haboubi
| author-link = Gabriel Haboubi
| accessdate = 2007-06-22
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090509160657/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/06/afghan-terror-suspect-transferred-to.php
| archive-date = May 9, 2009
}}
Haroon al-Afghani was transferred to the Guantanamo detention camps on
June 22, 2007,
and was held there for 15 years.
{{cite news
| url = http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/10028-haroon-al-afghani
| title = Guantanamo Docket: Haroon al-Afghani
| work = New York Times
| date = 2008-11-03
| author = Margot Williams
| author-link = Margot Williams
| accessdate = 2010-03-30
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110429200951/http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/10028-haroon-al-afghani
| archive-date = 2011-04-29
}}
{{cite web
| url=http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=11041
| title=Terror Suspect Transferred To Guantanamo
| publisher=Department of Defense
| date= June 22, 2007
| accessdate=2007-06-22
}} On June 22, 2007, the United States Department of Defense acknowledged transferring Haroon al-Afghani to Guantanamo.
{{cite news
| url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4912267.html
| work = Houston Chronicle
| date=June 22, 2007
| title=U.S. says Afghan prison not meant to be Gitmo alternative
| author=Deb Reichman
| author-link=Deb Reichman
| accessdate=2007-06-22
{{cite news
| url = http://news.indiainfo.com/2007/06/23/guantanamo.html
| title = Afghan insurgent commander lands in Guantanamo
| date = June 23, 2007
| publisher = Indiainfo
| accessdate = 2007-06-22
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081202215105/http://news.indiainfo.com/2007/06/23/guantanamo.html
| archive-date = December 2, 2008
}}
Prior to 2016, almost nothing certain was known about his background and activities. He had been held for more than eight years without being charged (leading to Al Jazeera naming him a "forever prisoner") before he was allowed legal representation, which was successfully pleaded for by Reprieve US.
The DoD detained him on the claim that he was an Al-Qaeda courier and senior commander of Hezb-e-Islami/Gulbuddin (HiG) who allegedly commanded multiple HiG terrorist cells, conducted IED (improvised explosive device) attacks in Nangarhar province, and had regular contact with senior Al-Qaeda and HiG leadership. The argument for his detention was that he might have had additional information with respect to ongoing Al-Qaeda operations that could help thwart future attacks.
However, relatives, who were unaware of his location following his sudden abduction, rejected the story and stated that the accusations were baseless. Reprieve US and his lawyer believe that, as supported by an Al Jazeera study, Al-Afghani is a victim of mistaken identity, and "has never been a member of the Taliban or al Qaeda, has never caused nor attempted to cause harm to American personnel or property and has never espoused violent beliefs."
According to Jeffrey Kaye he feared other captives would regard him as an American spy.
Joint Review Task Force
On January 21, 2009, the day he was inaugurated, United States President Barack Obama issued three Executive orders related to the detention of individuals in Guantanamo.
{{cite news
| url = http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/10/25/who-are-the-55-cleared-guantanamo-prisoners-on-the-list-released-by-the-obama-administration/
| title = Who Are the 55 Cleared Guantánamo Prisoners on the List Released by the Obama Administration?
| author = Andy Worthington
| author-link = Andy Worthington
| date = 2012-10-25
| accessdate = 2015-02-19
| quote = I have already discussed at length the profound injustice of holding Shawali Khan and Abdul Ghani, in articles here and here, and noted how their cases discredit America, as Khan, against whom no evidence of wrongdoing exists, nevertheless had his habeas corpus petition denied, and Ghani, a thoroughly insignificant scrap metal merchant, was put forward for a trial by military commission — a war crimes trial — under President Bush.
}}
| author = Andy Worthington
| url = http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/06/11/does-obama-really-know-or-care-about-who-is-at-guantanamo/
| title = Does Obama Really Know or Care About Who Is at Guantánamo?
| date = June 11, 2010
| accessdate = July 21, 2010
| archive-date = June 16, 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100616161842/http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/06/11/does-obama-really-know-or-care-about-who-is-at-guantanamo
| url-status = dead
{{cite news
| title = Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely
| author = Peter Finn
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012104936.html
| newspaper = Washington Post
| date = January 22, 2010
| accessdate = July 21, 2010
| archive-date = 2015-05-04
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150504225142/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012104936.html
| url-status = live
}}
{{cite news
| title = Most Guantanamo detainees low-level fighters, task force report says
| author = Peter Finn
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052803873.html
| newspaper = Washington Post
| date = May 29, 2010
| accessdate = July 21, 2010
| archive-date = 2015-05-10
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150510052105/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052803873.html
| url-status = live
}}
He put in place a new review system composed of officials from six departments, where the OARDEC reviews were conducted entirely by the Department of Defense. When it reported back, a year later, the Joint Review Task Force classified some individuals as too dangerous to be transferred from Guantanamo, even though there was no evidence to justify laying charges against them. On April 9, 2013, that document was made public after a Freedom of Information Act request.
{{cite news
| url = https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1020057-guantanamo-parole-list.html
| title = 71 Guantanamo Detainees Determined Eligible to Receive a Periodic Review Board as of April 19, 2013
| publisher = Joint Review Task Force
| date = 2013-04-09
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150519230955/https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1020057-guantanamo-parole-list.html
| archive-date = 2015-05-19
| accessdate = 2015-05-18
| url-status = live
}}
Haroon al-Afghani was one of the 71 individuals deemed too innocent to charge, but too dangerous to release.
Obama said those deemed too innocent to charge, but too dangerous to release would start to receive reviews from a Periodic Review Board.
Periodic Review Board
The first review was not convened until November 20, 2013. Haroon was approved for transfer on October 7, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.prs.mil/Portals/60/Documents/ISN3148/FullReview2/211007_UPR_ISN3148_FH2_FINAL_DETERMINATION.pdf|title=Unclassified Summary of Final Determination|website=prs.mil|date=October 7, 2021}}
Al Jazeera profile
The Al Jazeera news service profiled al-Afghani on January 20, 2016, describing him as an individual about whom "almost nothing certain is known".
They identified him as a "forever prisoner"—one of those the 2009 Guantanamo Review Task Force concluded was too dangerous to release—even though he was not charged with any crime.
It is believed that Afghani was born around 1981 and is from the Sherzad district in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan. "He was just a normal young boy", his relative said according to a report by Al Jazeera. Afghani was a student when the Taliban was in power. He studied economics at Hayatabad Science University in Peshawar, Pakistan.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}
Profile in Afghanistan
The human rights group Reprieve has tried to make Haroon a household name, in Afghanistan, to generate public pressure for his release. According to founder Clive Stafford Smith “With ordinary Afghans on his side it may bring the pressure we need at a time when the Americans are involved in peace talks with the Taliban.”
Stafford Smith noted that Haroon has yet to have had a visit from Afghan officials.
Release
Life post-release
Haroon has spoken out about the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli detention, comparing it to his time in Guantanamo.{{Cite web |last=Javaid |first=Osama Bin |title=Is Israel using 'US-style' torture on Palestinian prisoners? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/22/happening-again-guantanamo-victims-say-israel-using-us-style-torture |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}
References
{{Reflist|2|refs=
{{cite news
| url = https://www.thearticle.com/turning-a-gitmo-detainee-into-an-afghan-star
| title = Turning a Gitmo detainee into an Afghan star
| work = The Article
| author = Andrea Busfield
| date = 2020-01-31
| accessdate = 2020-05-20
| quote = And yet, the legal charity Reprieve says Asad (pictured) is “a total nobody” who was turned in for financial gain only to fall through the cracks as the years passed by. If he is ever to be freed, they say they need to make him a household name in his homeland.
}}
{{cite news
| url = https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/family-afghan-gitmo-prisoner-calls-his-release
| title = Family of Afghan Gitmo Prisoner Calls for His Release
| work = Tolo News
| author = Abdulhaq Omeri
| date = 2020-05-19
| accessdate = 2020-05-20
| quote = His defense lawyer, Stafford Smith, said Haroon’s family is in bad condition and he should be released soon .... for the 13 years that Haroon has been in Guantanamo Bay, he has never had a visit from an Afghan delegation,” Smith said.
}}
{{cite news
| url = https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/03/15/on-the-death-of-guantanamo-detainee-10028/
| title = On the Death of Guantanamo Detainee 10028
| work = Counterpunch
| author = Jeffrey Kaye
| author-link = Jeffrey Kaye
| date = 2019-03-15
| accessdate = 2020-05-20
| quote = One detainee who took pains to hide his informant status was Harun al-Afghani, aka Haroon Gul (ISN 3148), who was held in Camp Echo at the same time as Naseem. Like Naseem, he was also brought to Guantanamo in 2007.
}}
{{cite news
| url = http://www.prs.mil/ReviewInformation/InitialReview.aspx
| title = Periodic Review Secretariat: Review Information
| publisher = Periodic Review Secretariat
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160415130314/http://www.prs.mil/ReviewInformation/InitialReview.aspx
| archive-date = 2016-04-15
| url-status = dead
| access-date = 2016-04-18
}}
{{cite news
| url = http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2016/1/20/haroon-afghani-detainee-guantanamo-prison.html
| title = Gitmo 'forever prisoner' Haroon al-Afghani remains virtually unknown: Details surrounding the life and alleged crimes of one detainee at the notorious facility are essentially a mystery
| publisher = Al Jazeera
| date = 2016-01-20
| author = Sami Yousafzai, Jenifer Fenton
| accessdate = 2016-01-21
| quote = In official documents, almost nothing certain is known about Afghani’s background and activities. Yet he has been held for more than eight years without being charged. Afghani is a so-called forever prisoner, a detainee at Guantánamo who has not been charged with a crime but has not been cleared for transfer. Nor does he even have a lawyer.
}}
}}
External links
- [http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2007/09/20/myopic-pentagon-keeps-filling-guantanamo/ Myopic Pentagon keeps filling Guantánamo] Andy Worthington
- [http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/11/17/who-are-the-remaining-prisoners-in-guantanamo-part-eight-captured-in-afghanistan-2002-07/ Who Are the Remaining Prisoners in Guantánamo? Part Eight: Captured in Afghanistan (2002-07)] Andy Worthington
{{WoTPrisoners|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afghani, Haroon}}
Category:Detainees of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp
Category:Afghan extrajudicial prisoners of the United States