While Bush administration fluffs off abuse charges from South Asian former Guantanamo detainees, it may have a harder time ignoring a lawsuit filed by former Guantanamo prisoner Airat Vakhitov. Well, no, but let's play along, shall we? | Vakhitov, a Russian, alleges in his lawsuit that he was subjected to psychological torture, which included being denied sleep and guards provoking Muslim prisoners by desecrating the Koran; Vakhitov asserted, "The Koran was thrown into a lavatory pan before our eyes." Vakhitov said that the guards' belligerent attitude towards the prisoners triggered disorder in the prison; in 2003 Vakhitov said at least 300 people simultaneously went on hunger strike. Horrors! Now, why do you suppose a Russian would end up in Gitmo? Let's read on, between the lines this time | Vakhitov, a resident of of Naberezhnye Chelny in Tatarstan was the imam at a local mosque until 1999. And if you can't trust a imam.... | Following a clerical visit to Chechnya, Spreading the holy word, doing good deads, small arms training, etc.. | Russian authorities put him on a wanted list, after which he escaped to Tajikistan and then to Afghanistan. Funny, a lot of al-Qeada members had the same travel agent. Purely an accident I'm sure.. |
Arrested by the Taliban as a "Soviet spy," They weren't real big on outsiders without proper introductions | Vakhitov was in prison in Kandahar when the Taliban were overthrown, but handed over to the United States by the new government and shipped to Guantanamo. Guess the Afghans didn't buy the "traveling imam" story either | In February 2004, Vakhitov and six other Russians were released to Russian authorities, who released them four months from a local prison without charges. Yup, a totally believable source. |
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