News

Jumah al-Dossari was amongst a group of 16 Saudi Arabian nationals transferred from Guantánamo to Saudi Arabia on 16 July 2007. According to media reports, all 16 were immediately taken into custody upon their arrival for investigation by the Saudi Arabian authorities.

Jumah al-Dossari, a joint Saudi Arabian/Bahraini citizen, is believed to have attempted suicide at least 13 times whilst in US custody.

His brother-in-law, who spoke to Jumah al-Dossari on the phone after his return, told the media that:

"His mother, brother and sister have seen him in Riyadh and they say he is well and he was very pleased to see them... For five years, he was there, but now he has come back and that is great... We are very happy... He called me and I talked with him -- his health seems better than before because he is back."

Up to 77 Saudi Arabian nationals have been released from Guantánamo and returned to Saudi Arabia. All were detained on arrival. Most have reportedly been released, but Amnesty International does not know how many are still detained and on what grounds. Approximately 53 Saudi Arabian nationals are still held in Guantánamo.

According to the US Department of Defense, approximately 360 men remain detained in Guantánamo.

Amnesty International has thanked all those who took action on his behalf.