Fethi Boucetta

Fethi Boucetta (born 15 September 1963 in Algiers), also known as Abu Mohammed, is an Algerian citizen who was held without charge at the United States’ Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba (Internment Serial Number 718). During his Combatant Status Review Tribunal, he was found “no longer an enemy combatant”, one of 38 detainees to receive this determination. Boucetta was arrested in a Pakistani refugee camp in August 2002 despite asserting he had never been to Afghanistan and denying any ties to terrorism. He was subsequently transferred to Albania on 17 November 2006, where he received asylum and was later recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as an internationally protected refugee. Post-release interviews, including a McClatchy News feature in June 2008, report that Boucetta who trained as a medical doctor remains puzzled by the reasons for his capture and continued detention.^[1]

Fethi Boucetta
Born	(1963-09-15)September 15, 1963 Algiers, Algeria
Detained at	Guantanamo
Charge(s)	No charge (held in extrajudicial detention)
Status	Transferred to Albanian custody, in an Albanian refugee camp.

Combatant Status Review

Main article: Combatant Status Review Tribunal

A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for his tribunal. The memo listed the following allegations against him:^[2][3]

a. The detainee supported the Taliban and al Qaida forces.

1. The detainee is an Algerian national who has traveled between Pakistan and Afghanistan between 1989 through 2002.
2. the detainee reportedly was an active member of the Islamic Salvation Front.
3. The Islamic Salvation Front is a terrorist and armed militant group.
4. The detainee reportedly left Yemen and went to Afghanistan at the request of the Taliban.
5. In Afghanistan, the detainee reportedly organized combatants to fight for the Taliban.
6. The detainee reportedly has organized extremist networks in Arab countries and has contacts throughout the Middle East.
7. The detainee was arrested in Pakistan during a raid of al Qaida residences, on May 27, 2002.

Determined not to have been an Enemy Combatant

The Washington Postreports that Boucetta was one of 38 detainees who was determined not to have been an enemy combatant during his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.^[4] They report that Boucetta has been released.

The Ottawa Citizen speculates that Boucetta may be one of a select number of detainees under consideration for an offer of Asylum.^[5]

Habeas corpus

At least one habeas corpus petition was submitted on his behalf.^[6] On April 17, 2007, the United States Department of Justice submitted a motion to dismiss his habeas corpus petition, and approximately 100 other habeas corpus petitions, because he was no longer in US custody. The motion says his case was amalgamated into Mohammon v. Bush. The motion identifies him as: "Abu Mohammed", "Dr. Abu Mohammed", and "Boucetta Fihi". His case was heard before US District Court Judge Reggie Walton.

The United States Department of Defense published 179 habeas petitions, but they didn't publish his.^[7]

Release

Three of the remaining Guantanamo captives who were determined not to have been enemy combatants were released to Albania in November 2006.^[8][9][10] The men were not identified, other than by nationality. One of the released men was an Algerian. They were reported to have been the last of the men classified as "no longer enemy combatants to have remained in custody.

UN refugee status

An article in the Kansas City Star describes how the United Nations High Commission for Refugees only learned in December 2006 that the Americans had been holding internationally protected refugees in Guantanamo.^[11] The article says the UNHCR wrote the Pentagon, on December 20, 2006, seeking information on why Mammar Ameur and Mohammed Sulaymon Barre were being detained in Guantanamo. The article stated that Fethi Boucetta, was also an internationally protected refugee, and that the Americans had transferred him to Albania. The article added that Boucetta was a medical doctor.

The BBC later interviewed him in Albania, where he was using the name "Abu Mohammed" ^[12] He told the BBC:

Those Americans brought me here by force. I refused to come here.

McClatchy interview

On June 15, 2008, the McClatchy News Service published articles based on interviews with 66 former Guantanamo captives. McClatchy reporters interviewed Abu Mohammed.^{[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]} He reports he remains mystified as to why he was originally captured, and why he continued to be detained.

He reports he was held for two months in the Bagram Theater Detention Facility, was told he was being sent home, but, instead, was sent to Guantanamo.^[19]