Walid Said Bin Said Zaid

Walid Said Bin Said Zaid is a citizen of Yemen held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba. His Guantanamo Internment Serial Number is 550. Joint Task Force Guantanamo counter-terrorism analysts reports that Zaid was born in Ta'iz, Yemen, on February 2, 1978.

As of May 11, 2010, Walid Said Bin Said Zaid has been held at Guantanamo for eight years.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal
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 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.

Summary of Evidence memo
A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's Combatant Status Review Tribunal, on 14 October 2004. The memo listed the following allegations against him:

Transcript
Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's Combatant Status Review Tribunal convened on October 26, 2004. He did not attend his Tribunal, but he did prepare a written statement. Other captive's written statements were released on March 3, 2006. His statement was released in September 2007 together with document released in response to his habeas corpus petition.

His Tribunal's President provided a summary of the statement for the Unclassified Summary of Basis for Tribunal Decision :
 * {| class="wikitable"

Essentially the only unclassified evidence the Tribunal had to consider was the Detainee's unsworn written statement as present by the Personal Representative from his interview with the detainee. The Personal Representative's summary of his interview is attached as Exhibit D-b. In sum, the detainee stated that he was not aware that ########## was associated with al Qaida and that he never fired upon US forces or their allies. The detainee stated that he did train on the Kalashnikov and the rocket propelled grenade launcher, but did not train in tactics or map reading; that he was recruited in Yemen so he could go to Afghanistan to be a teacher, but he did train at the camp because that's what was expected.
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Walid Said Bin Said Zaid v. George W. Bush
A writ of habeas corpus, formally Walid Said Bin Said Zaid v. George W. Bush, was submitted on Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's behalf. In response, on 16 February 2006 the Department of Defense released 15 pages of unclassified documents related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.

(Civil Action No. 05-cv-1646 (D.D.C.)) is a writ of habeas corpus filed on behalf of Guantanamo captive Waleed Said Bin Said Zaid before US District Court Judge John D. Bates.

Combatant Status Review Tribunal
His enemy combatant status was confirmed by Tribunal Panel 13.

Eighteen pages of unclassified documents from his Combatant Status Review Tribunal were published in response to his habeas petition.

Lead Counsel
In January 2007 the Center for Constitution Rights published a list of the counsels of the "lead petitioners" in the captives various habeas petitions. The list records Judith Brown Chomsky as the counsel to the lead petitioner on this petition.

Military Commissions Act
The Military Commissions Act of 2006 mandated that Guantanamo captives were no longer entitled to access the US civil justice system, so all outstanding habeas corpus petitions were stayed.

Boumediene v. Bush
On June 12, 2008 the United States Supreme Court ruled, in Boumediene v. Bush, that the Military Commissions Act could not remove the right for Guantanamo captives to access the US Federal Court system. And all previous Guantanamo captives' habeas petitions were eligible to be re-instated. The judges considering the captives' habeas petitions would be considering whether the evidence used to compile the allegations the men and boys were enemy combatants justified a classification of "enemy combatant".

Re-initiation
On 15 July 2008 Kristine A. Huskey filed a "NOTICE OF PETITIONERS’ REQUEST FOR 30-DAYS NOTICE OF TRANSFER" on behalf of several dozen captives. The petition would prevent the Department of Defense from transferring him out of US jurisdiction without giving his attorney's thirty days notice. The Department of Defense had transferred some captives to countries where they were subsequently subjected to abusive treatment—even though they had active habeas corpus petitions.

On 19 July 2008 Judith Brown Chomsky filed a status report on behalf of Waleed Said Bin Said Zaid. In her report Chomsky stated his petition was first filed on 16 August 2005. She reported that the United States Department of Justice filed an incomplete and redacted factual return 22 February 2006. She reported that a DTA appeal under the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 had been filed, Zaid v. Gates (Civil Action No. 07-1131) on 26 April 2007.

On 26 November 2008 Judith Chomsky filed a "PETITIONER’S OPPOSITION TO THE GOVERNMENT’S MOTION FOR CLARIFICATION AND RECONSIDERATION OF THIS COURT’S NOVEMBER 6, 2008 CASE MANAGEMENT ORDER AND SUPPLEMENTAL AMENDED ORDER" with regard to Waleed Said Bn Said Zaid (ISN 550) in Civil Action No. 05-cv-1646 (JDB).

On 15 December 2008 DoJ official Steve Matheny filed a "Unopposed motion to file unclassified return out of time and notice of filing protected information" in Civil Action No. 05-cv-1646, 05-cv-2378 (JDB).

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 weren't authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, and they weren't 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 Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's first annual Administrative Review Board, on February 18, 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

Transcript
Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's Board was originally to convene on 2 March 2005.

Second annual Administrative Review Board
A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's second annual Administrative Review Board, on 3 February 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

Third annual Administrative Review Board
A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Walid Said Bin Said Zaid's third annual Administrative Review Board. The memo listed factors for and against his continued detention.