Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guant谩namo Detention
What's at Stake
Mohamedou Ould Slahi (sometimes spelled "Salahi") is a Mauritanian national who was illegally detained by the U.S. for more than 14 years. On October 17, 2016, Mr. Slahi was released and transferred back to Mauritania, where he was reunited with his family. Mr. Slahi was arrested in Mauritania in November 2001 on suspicion of ties to al-Qaeda. He was then illegally rendered by the U.S. government to Jordan, where he was detained, interrogated and abused for eight months. He was subsequently rendered to U.S. custody in Bagram, Afghanistan and finally to Guant谩namo, where he was held from August 2002 until his release.
Summary
At Guant谩namo, Mr. Slahi was held in total isolation for months, kept in a freezing cold cell, shackled to the floor, deprived of food, made to drink salt water, forced to stand in a room with strobe lights and heavy metal music for hours at a time, threatened with harm to his family, forbidden from praying, beaten and subjected to the 鈥渇requent flyer鈥 program, during which he was awakened every few hours to deprive him of sleep. The government falsely told him that his mother had been arrested and was being sent to Guant谩namo. His abuse was confirmed and well documented in a 2009 report by the Senate Armed Services Committee that investigated allegations of detainee abuse at Guant谩namo. In fact, the military lawyer originally assigned to prosecute the case against Mr. Slahi in the military commissions, Marine Corps Lt. Col. Stuart Couch, determined that the statements wrung from Mr. Slahi during his interrogations were so tainted by torture that they couldn鈥檛 ethically be used against him. Ultimately, Col. Couch told his supervisors that he was 鈥渕orally opposed鈥 to Mr. Slahi鈥檚 treatment, and refused to participate in the prosecution.
In 2009, the 老澳门开奖结果 joined Mr. Slahi鈥檚 legal team of Nancy Hollander and Theresa Duncan of Freedman Boyd Hollander Goldberg Ives & Duncan P.A. and Linda Moreno of Linda Moreno P.A. in a habeas corpus petition challenging the basis of his detention, arguing that the government had no reliable evidence that he was part of al-Qaeda when he was seized in 2001. In March 2010, a federal judge ruled that the U.S. could not continue to detain Mr. Slahi. The judge found that allegations that Mr. Slahi participated in the so-called Millennium Plot to attack the Los Angeles airport and that he recruited two of the 9/11 hijackers were not supported by any credible evidence. The judge ultimately concluded that there was no basis for the government鈥檚 contention that Mr. Slahi was part of al Qaeda and thus ruled that he could not be detained indefinitely.
Despite the district court鈥檚 findings, the government continued to oppose his release and filed an appeal in the D.C. Circuit. The Court of Appeals sent the case back to the district court for further factual findings in light of developments in the law since the district court issued its original ruling ordering Mr. Slahi released. In December 2015, the district court denied the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 motion seeking a timely Periodic Review Board hearing for Mr. Slahi and challenging the harsh and arbitrary conditions of confinement the government imposed on him.
In July 2016, the Periodic Review Board, composed of U.S. national security, intelligence, and other officials, cleared Mr. Slahi for release after determining that he poses no significant threat to the United States. On October 17, 2016, the U.S. government transferred Mr. Slahi to his native Mauritania, where he was reunited with his family.
Mr. Slahi鈥檚 illegal detention for well over a decade without charge or trial embodies the most egregious abuses of Guant谩namo. The Obama administration should prosecute or release all terrorism suspects in its custody, and should veto any legislation allowing indefinite detention without charge or trial. Detaining terrorism suspects without charge or trial is illegal, un-American and undermines both our values and our security.
Read More on SLAHI'S BEST-SELLING MEMOIR, 鈥済UANTAN脕MO DIARY,鈥 AND the Campaign to Free HIM
Legal Documents
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10/17/2016
Notice of Transfer of Mohamedou Ould Slahi -
12/30/2015
Government's Response to Court's Order of December 17, 2015 -
12/17/2015
Memorandum Opinion -
11/24/2015
Transcript of November 24, 2015 Hearing on Petitioner鈥檚 Motion for an Order to Show Cause -
09/14/2015
Notice of Classified Filing -
09/14/2015
Petitioner's Reply in Support of His Motion for an Order to Show Cause -
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09/14/2015
Declaration of Linda Moreno
Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guant谩namo DetentionLegal DocumentsDeclaration of Linda MorenoDate Filed: 09/14/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
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09/14/2015
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07/29/2015
Government's Opposition to Petitioner's Motion to Show Cause -
07/29/2015
Government Notice of Classified Filing -
07/22/2015
Notice of Filing Redacted Document -
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07/22/2015
Redacted Copy of Exhibit 9 to Motion for Order to Show Cause
Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guant谩namo DetentionLegal DocumentsRedacted Copy of Exhibit 9 to Motion for Order to Show CauseDate Filed: 07/22/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
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07/22/2015
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06/30/2015
Factual Supplement to Petitioner鈥檚 Motion for Order to Show Cause -
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06/30/2015
Declaration of Theresa M. Duncan -
06/30/2015
Exhibit A
Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guant谩namo DetentionLegal DocumentsDeclaration of Theresa M. DuncanDate Filed: 06/30/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guant谩namo DetentionLegal DocumentsExhibit ADate Filed: 06/30/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
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06/30/2015
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06/10/2015
Motion for Order to Require "Periodic Review Board" Hearing and Cessation of Arbitrary Restrictions on Confinement Conditions -
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06/10/2015
Declaration of Nancy Hollander and Exhibits
Slahi v. Obama - Habeas Challenge to Guant谩namo DetentionLegal DocumentsDeclaration of Nancy Hollander and ExhibitsDate Filed: 06/10/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
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06/10/2015
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04/09/2010
Order
Date Filed: 10/17/2016
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 12/30/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 12/17/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 11/24/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 09/14/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 09/14/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 07/29/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 07/29/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 07/22/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 06/30/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 06/10/2015
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
Date Filed: 04/09/2010
Court: District Court (D.D.C.)
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11/05/2010
DC Circuit Appeals Court Decision -
07/21/2010
Brief for Respondents-Appellants -
07/08/2010
Brief for Appellee -
06/07/2010
Brief for Appellants
Date Filed: 11/05/2010
Court: Appeals Court (D.C. Cir.)
Date Filed: 07/21/2010
Court: Appeals Court (D.C. Cir.)
Date Filed: 07/08/2010
Court: Appeals Court (D.C. Cir.)
Date Filed: 06/07/2010
Court: Appeals Court (D.C. Cir.)
Press Releases
Mohamedou Slahi Released from Guant谩namo After 14 Years Without Charge or Trial
Review Board Clears 鈥楪uant谩namo Diary鈥 Author for Release
Imprisoned Author at Guant谩namo Granted Review Hearing
老澳门开奖结果 Asks Court to Order Hearing for Imprisoned Guant谩namo Book Author