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: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Sweden court grants asylum to former Uighur Guantanamo detainee

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

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[JURIST] Sweden's Migration Court on Wednesday granted asylum to former Uighur Guantanamo Bay detainee Adil Hakimjan, also known as Adel Abdu Al-Hakim. The decision overruled a previous ruling by the Swedish Migration Board denying Hakimjan asylum. Hakimjan, who was held at Guantanamo Bay for nearly five years, was one of five Uighurs released in 2006 who were granted asylum in Albania. Hakimjan had applied for asylum in Sweden because he has a sister living there. The court cited the family relationship, the humanitarian nature of the request, and Hakimjan's detention at Guantanamo Bay as reasons for granting him residence as a refugee. Also on Wednesday a panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit reversed an October district court order that would have provided for the release of 17 Uighur Guantanamo Bay detainees into the US. The US government has determined that the Uighurs are not unlawful enemy combatants, but it has linked them with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a militant group that calls for separation from China and has been a US-designated terrorist group since 2002. Earlier this month, China renewed its demand for the Uighurs to be repatriated. Despite the demands, the US government has been hesitant to release the Uighurs back to China, fearing they will be tortured upon their return.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on February 19, 2009 (boomark / email).