Fawaz Abd Al Aziz Al Zahrani

Fawaz Abd Al Aziz Al Zahrani () is a citizen of Saudi Arabia who was held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba.
His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number was 125.
American intelligence analysts estimate he was born in 1978, in Medina, Saudi Arabia.
Present during the Qalai-Jangi prison incident
Historian Andy Worthington, the author of The Guantanamo Files, speculated that Al Zahrani was one of the survivors of the Qalai-Jangi prison incident where CIA officer Mike Spann died.
Repatriation and Saudi detention
Fawaz al Zahrani was one of five men repatriated on May 15, 2003.
Human Rights Watch reported that al-Zahrani and the other men he was repatriated with, were held by the Saudi authorities for a further two years.
They reported that the men had a four day trial, held in-camera, in May 2005.
The men were not permitted legal representation at their trial.
The men were convicted of leaving Saudi Arabia without permission, and received six months sentences.
The men were released, for time-served.
Their release was conditional, they were not allowed to speak about their US or Saudi detentions.
Don Von Natta and Tim Golden were the first to report that the repatriation of Al Zahrani, and the four other Saudis, was part of a complicated secret deal to secure the release of seven British citizens held by the Saudi Arabia.
The quoted a military official, involved in the repatriation of Guantanamo captives captives, who described how the repatriation of Al Zahrani and the other four men stood out from those of earlier releases.
:“It didn't seem right. The green light had not appeared on these guys in the way that it had on others. It was clear that there was a quid pro quo to the deal that we were not aware of.”
Von Natta and Golden noted that Al Zahrani and the four other men were the first captive who were returned to Saudi Arabia, and the first who weren't set free upon their return home, but were instead return to continued detention by their country of citizenship.
According to Morley the Saudis requested the men's repatriation in return for releasing seven British men who had been tortured by Saudi security officials.
 
< Prev   Next >