GOC RELEASES GUANTANAMO RETURNEE AL-QARANI

C O N F I D E N T I A L NDJAMENA 000244


STATE FOR S/CG, AF, AF/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/19/2014
TAGS: PREL PHUM PTER ASEC CD
SUBJECT: GOC RELEASES GUANTANAMO RETURNEE AL-QARANI

REF: A. NDJAMENA 231

B. NDJAMENA 225

Classified By: Charge d'affaires Sue Bremner, for reasons 1.4 (b)
and (d)


1. (C) In the wake of the GoC's June 18 release of former
Guantanamo detainee Yousef al-Qarani (aka Mohamed
el-Gharani),Charge d'affaires spoke briefly June 19 with
Chadian Ambassador to the U.S. Mahamoud Adam Bechir, who had
been part of the group of GoC individuals to receive
al-Qarani from U.S. custody June 11, and who remains in
N'Djamena handling the case. Bechir stressed that although
the GoC wished to observe al-Qarani to determine how he would
handle himself and who his associates would be, it did not
believe grounds existed to keep him in custody or to bring
charges against him.


2. (C) Bechir said that he had spent most of the previous
week in consultations with al-Qarani's lawyers. Asked
whether the ICRC had been involved, Bechir said that there
had been no need for this, as the GoC had determined early on
that it did not wish to keep al-Qarani in custody for more
than a minimal period of time. In any event, he had been
well-treated, said Bechir, He wished to travel outside Chad,
but whether he would be entitled to a passport remained to be
seen, as questions on his identity had yet to be resolved.


3. (SBU) Embassy has been contacted by a number of
international journalists about the case; the BBC has spoken
with al-Qarani and plans to conduct an interview with him,
which may run over the weekend. We have made clear to
journalists that we have no information to provide about the
case except that al-Qarani was handed over to Chadian
officials June 11.


BREMNER