Mohammed Hashim

Mohammed Hashim is a citizen of Afghanistan, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, in Cuba. His Guantanam Internee Security Number is 850. JTF-GTMO analysts estimated that he was born in 1976, in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal

Combatant Status Review Tribunals were held in a trailer the size of a large RV. The captive sat on a plastic garden chair, with his hands and feet shackled to a bolt in the floor. Three chairs were reserved for members of the press, but only 37 of the 574 Tribunals were observed.

Initially the Bush administration 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 a 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 administration's definition of an enemy combatant.

Hashim chose to participate in his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.

Allegations

His transcript records that he acknowledged all the unclassified allegations that were read out against him were correct. In particular he acknowledged, ''"I helped out Bin Laden."

The transcript does not record what those allegations were.

Opening Statement

Mohammed Hashim gave a long opening statement, where he acknowledged that all the allegations against him are correct. In particular he acknowledged serving with the Taliban for five years, and to helping to serve Osama bin Laden. However, he said that his service was entirely for money, it wasn't ideological at all.

Mohammed Hashim identified over half a dozen Taliban and al Qaeda leaders, and his association with them.

Mohammed Hashim said he was an unmarried, and lived with his parents. He said he was from the Kochi nomadic tribe.

Mohamed Hashim concluded the unclassified session of his Tribunal with the comment: