Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rahman Al Balushi

Salah Abdul Rasool Al Blooshi (Arabic: صلاح عبد الرسول البلوشي) is a Bahraini, who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States
Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.'Help me' plea by Bay detainee
, ''Gulf Daily News'', September 5, 2005

On May 15, 2006, the U.S. Department of Defense complied with a court order and released a list of the identities of the Guantanamo detainees.

The DoD calls him Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rahman Al Balushi. His Guantanamo Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 227. The DoD reports that he was born on February 12, 1981, in Muharraq, Bahrain. Mr Al Blooshi was reportedly arrested by Pakistani authorities after crossing over from Afghanistan in December 2001 and handed over to the US military.Bahrain Bay detainee 'poses no danger'
, ''Gulf Daily News'', July 2, 2006

Al Blooshi is represented by Joshua Colangelo-Bryan, Esq. The campaign to free the detainee is being led by Bahraini MP Mohammed Khalid.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal

Initially the Bush Presidency asserted that they could withhold all the protections of the Geneva Conventions to captives from the war on terror. This policy was challenged before the Judicial branch. Critics argued that the USA could not evade its obligation to conduct competent tribunals to determine whether captives are, or are not, entitled to the protections of prisoner of war status.

Subsequently the Department of Defense instituted the Combatant Status Review Tribunals. The Tribunals, however, were not authorized to determine whether the captives were ''lawful combatants''—rather they were merely empowered to make a recommendation as to whether the captive had previously been correctly determined to match the Bush Presidency's definition of an enemy combatant.

Summary of Evidence Memo

On September 23, 2004, a Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rahman Al Balushi’s Combatant Status Review Tribunal. The document listed allegations categorized under associations, travel history, and connections to suspected militants:

a. Alleged Association with al-Qaeda:

* Traveled from Bahrain to Afghanistan via Pakistan in August 2001.
* Resided for two weeks in a Kandahar guesthouse allegedly linked to al-Qaeda recruitment.
* Surrendered his passport to a scholar, identified as an al-Qaeda recruiter.
* His alias and the name of the passport recipient were reportedly found in documents recovered from al-Qaeda safe houses during searches in November 2001.
* While hospitalized in Jalalabad, he met an Egyptian national who later accompanied him to a small village. This individual was alleged to be an al-Qaeda commander who had fought on the Taliban front lines against the Northern Alliance.
* Captured by Pakistani authorities in December 2001 while fleeing Afghanistan.

These allegations formed the basis of the U.S. government's case for classifying Al Blooshi as an "enemy combatant." However, the Summary of Evidence did not include direct evidence of participation in hostilities or acts of terrorism.

Transcript

There is no record that captive 227
participated in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.

Habeas corpus

A writ of habeas corpus, Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rahman Al Balushi v. George W. Bush, was submitted on captive 227's behalf.

In response, on October 12, 2004, the Department of Defense released 16
pages of unclassified documents related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.

The Legal Advisor's declaration was drafted by Commander James R. Crisfield Jr., a JAG officer. His enemy combatant status was confirmed by Tribunal panel 6 on September 28, 2004.

The Detainee election form prepared by his Personal Representative on 27 September 2004 stated:

:

Administrative Review Board hearing

Detainees who were determined to have been properly classified as "enemy combatants" were scheduled to have their dossier reviewed at annual Administrative Review Board hearings. The Administrative Review Boards were not authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, nor were they authorized to review whether a detainee should have been classified as an "enemy combatant".

They were authorized to consider whether a detainee should continue to be detained by the United States, because they continued to pose a threat, or whether they could safely be repatriated to the custody of their home country, or whether they could be set free.

First annual Administrative Review Board

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for
Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Al Balushi's first annual
Administrative Review Board,
on
January 28, 2005.

The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

''The following primary factors favor continued detention''

''The following primary factors favor release or transfer''

Letter from Mark S. Sullivan

The Department of Defense did not publish the transcript from captive 227's Board hearing.
It did publish a redacted version of a
two-page letter from Mark S. Sullivan, one of the lawyers helping him access the US justice system, dated January 19, 2005, entitled: ''"Administrative Review Board Submission for Salah Abdul Rasul Al Bloushi, ISN # 227."''

They also published an unsigned note.

Sullivan's letter stated, in part:

:

The unsigned note said:

:

Second annual Administrative Review Board

The ''Gulf Daily News'' reported, on July 2, 2006, that Colangelo-Bryan summarized the allegations against al Blooshi
from his second Administrative Review Board.

# ''Specifically, the military asserts that Salah went to Afghanistan long before September 11, 2001, when he heard about Buddhist statues being destroyed at Bamyan.''
# ''According to the military, Salah went there to make sure that Afghans were Salafi Muslims.''
# ''The military also says that Salah had 300 Bahraini dinars with him and that he stayed with a friend for two weeks in Kandahar.''
# ''According to the military, this friend suggested that Salah give his passport to a man who is said to be associated in some way with Al Qaeda.''
# ''Finally, the military said that Salah became sick for a month in Jalabad and then travelled to Afghan/Pakistani border.''

Colangelo-Bryan asked how, even if the allegations were true, they showed that Al Blooshi had ever represented a threat to the USA.

Summary of Evidence

In September 2007, the DoD released a Summary of Evidence memo prepared for Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rahman Al Balushi's second annual Administrative Review Board, on January 30, 2006.

The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.

''The following primary factors favor continued detention''

''The following primary factors favor release or transfer''

Board recommendations

In early September 2007, the Department of Defense released two heavily redacted memos, from his Board, to Gordon R. England, the Designated Civilian Official.


The Board's recommendation was unanimous
The Board's recommendation was redacted.
England authorized his transfer on June 15, 2006.

His Board concluded that he ''"...continues to be a threat to the United States and its allies."

Al Blooshi's last interrogation

On July 23, 2006, Colangelo-Bryan described Al Blooshi's last interrogation.Bay prisoner 'is no threat'
, ''Gulf Daily News'', July 23, 2006
He said that the camp authorities acknowledge that 75% of the detainees are no longer interrogated. He estimated that even fewer detainees are currently being interrogated than US spokesment acknowledged.

Al Blooshi has not been interrogated at all in 2006. Colangelo-Bryan said that during his last interrogation Al Blooshi was asked about his activities in the war in Bosnia in 1995.

Release

Salah has been released.

On Thursday August 23, 2007, the ''Gulf Daily News'' reported that
Bahraini Member of Parliament Mohammed Khalid had called for the Bahrain government to provide financial compensation to the released men.

See also

* Abdulla Majid Al Naimi
* Adel Kamel Hajee
* Bahraini captives in Guantanamo
* Essa Al Murbati
* Juma Mohammed Al Dossary
* Shaikh Salman Ebrahim Mohamed Ali Al Khalifa

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blooshi, Salah Abdul Rasool
Living people
1981 births
Guantanamo detainees known to have been released
Bahraini people of Baloch descent
Bahraini expatriates in Pakistan
People from Muharraq
Bahraini extrajudicial prisoners of the United States