Interview with the Families of the Bosnian Detainees

In January 2002, six Algerians resident in Bosnia were acquitted of charges that they conspired to attack the US and British embassies in Sarajevo. The very morning they expected to be released into the arms of their families, the six men were hooded and kidnapped by US agents and extradited to Guantanamo Bay. For those left behind, every day is a struggle and many questions remain unanswered. Cageprisoners.com speaks to two of the wives of the Bosnian detainees...

Follow the links for more information on Saber and Mustafa.

CAGEPRISONERS.COM: Could you introduce yourselves and your husbands to our readers?

SABIHA DELIC: My name is Sabiha Delic Ait-Idir. I was born on September 26th 1970 in Bosnia Hertzgovina. My husband's name is Mustafa Ait-Idir. He was born on September 7th 1970 in Algeria. In 1996, we were married in Sarajevo. We have three sons - Muhamed (1997), Hamza (2000), Abdullah (2002).

EMINA LAHMAR: My name is Emina Lahmar, the wife of Saber Lahmar. I was born in Sarajevo 1976. and my husband was born in Algeria 1969. We were married on 14th of April 2001, here in Sarajevo, and we are parents of Sara Lahmar (2 years old).

CP: What brought your husbands to Bosnia?

SD: Mustafa came to Split from Algeria in 1993, as a worker in a humanitarian organization called Igasa. This organization moved to Bosnia, and so Mustafa came to Sarajevo. Since then, he was employed in humanitarian organizations, in the 'jetim' department, which is the social department.

EL: After my husband finished his studies in Madina al-Munawwara, he came to Bosnia in 1997, as a teacher of the Arabic language and as a employee in a Saudi Arabian humanitarian organisation.

CP: What led to initial arrests of your husbands in Bosnia in 2001?

EL: The terrorist attacks in the USA on the 11th of September created a particular atmosphere and treatment of Arabs in our country as well in the whole world. Everyone who was an Arab was under special investigation and was
suspected to be an potential criminal. The only explanation given, after they were arrested was that they were a threat to the USA and UK embassies. Up until this day there is no single proof to that claim.

CP: Could you explain the subsequent events that led to their detention in Guantanamo Bay?

SD: From the 18th October 2001 until 17th January 2002, my husband was held in jail, under suspicion that he planned to attack the US and British embassies. While he was held hostage in prison, no one visited him, besides myself and the lawyer that I hired. Everyday, we were in uncertainty and no one gave us any answers. People were afraid, and many officials just gave the same answer: "The court will decide, if he didn't do anything, he will be released." So I believed this. Every time I visited him, I tried to encourage him, I kept telling him that, "everything will be cleared up in Court after the judge sees that there is no evidence of what they are accusing you of." We never had a chance for this. The Court released him, but my husband hasn't seen freedom since then.

While he was in jail, his lawyer was allowed to visit him. I was allowed to visit him once a week only for 10 minutes. I could bring him food and clothes every other day. He was together with other prisoners, and was not allowed to use the phone (just like the other prisoners), and he was forbidden to see other people from Algeria, who were brought to the jail together with him. The Supreme Court decided to release them and the Human Rights Chamber issued the application where it said that deportation was forbidden. But none of this was adhered to.

EL: After the Supreme Court ruled that thay must be released because of lack of evidence, on 17th of January 2002, together with our lawyers, we went to the prison expecting their release, even though we have heard before that
they could be deported out of Bosnia. The Bosnian Human Rights Chamber established their innocence and had forbidden their deportation. When we came to the prison, we saw SFOR troops around the prison and we realised that the deportation was going to happen against the court's rules. At that moment, our lawyer heard that Cuba was possible location for their deportation. The TV and radio reported it and some people came to give us support and to protest against the deportation.

SD: That night turned into a nightmare. People were gathering, and asking for the release. Around 11pm, the group was taken out of the prison, they had bags on their heads, tied hands and legs, and they were put into jeeps. People blocked the traffic and they stayed at the same place until 5 am. The Bosnian police threw tear gas and I saw my husband for the last time when he was transferred from one jeep to another, just like a bag of potatoes. I don't even know how I survived that night. From 19:30 till the next day 5:30am the temperature was below 0 C, it was snowing. When I came back to my house, my boots were totally wet, and I couldn’t feel my legs. I returned to my sister's house (I left my two sons there). I just said, "It is over, they took them away". The nightmare just continued the next day, when we started thinking where they were. One policeman came to my door, and with sorrow he told me that my husband was deported somewhere, he didn't know where.

Then I started searching for the truth. Not one official told me where they sent them.

CP: How did you respond when you heard that they were in Guantanamo Bay?

SD: When I got to the Red Cross, they told me that my husband had been transferred to Cuba on the 24th January 2002. At least, I felt a little bit better, because I had discovered where my husband was. But I felt huge sorrow and pain - my house was full of it. There were moments when I wasn't aware of what was going on, I just couldn’t believe that this horrible, horrible thing happened in the 21st century.

EL: I had seen some pictures from Guantanamo Bay before this, I was shocked when I heard that. Our daughter was born 20 days after he was taken to Guantanamo Bay, and I couldn`t even tell him that.

CP: How do you respond to the allegations against your husbands?

EL: These allegations are senseless because the number which contacted
Bensayah Belkacem [one of the other Algerians in the group. He was accused of being in contact with an Al-Qaeda aide] was unknown to us. It was someone's number, but we have never heard of that number before. That wasn`t my husband's number at all! And the list of the numbers which were called from my husband's telephone was clean of all suspicious numbers - my husband called nobody who was suspicious.

SD:I am still confused when it comes to this world that we live in. Just imagine the situation - You are sitting in your house, and you don't know anything, and then some people come to your door and they say, 'you did this and that' and that is it. The whole thing is over. The accusations were illogical, imagined. The group of 6 Algerians did not even know each other before, this situation brought them together. And this will leave the permanent scar on our souls. I was angry because I could visit him only once a week. Now I would give anything just to stay in contact with him over the phone.

SD: How much communication have you had with him while he has been in Guantanamo?

EL:In the beginning, communication was very bad and rare. Then, after a
period of 3 months, the letters were regular but since the beginning of the
war in Iraq there has been NO communication at all!

CP: What does he say in his letters?

EL: At first he didn`t even know where he was, the letters are the same - about health, he asks about our families and so on. He doesn`t know anything about the outside world or his destiny.

He says, "My life has been destroyed but not for even one moment was I desperate because I know that the truth is on our side."

CP: Sabiha, when Mustapha was taken to Guantanamo Bay you were in the middle of your pregnancy - could you talk about how you coped with this ordeal alone, the labour and early days of motherhood?

SD: When I was leaving the hospital I was expecting to see Mustafa, but he wasn’t there. His enemies did not allow him. I clearly remember his happy face when I was leaving the hospital after I gave birth to my two other sons.
After they took my husband away until I gave birth to my third son, I continued working. After delivering, I made a break of two months, and just continued working, and praying for my husband’s release together with my children. I graduated from college too at that time.

CP: Could you tell us a little about your children and what has been the effect on them?

SD: Muhamed was four when Mustafa was taken away. But he still remembers every moment he spent with him. And every day, I keep telling him that his father is on business trip, and he will come soon. Lately I noticed that he is not that happy and excited anymore, I think that he doesn’t believe me anymore. Hamza is going to be four this year, and I think that he is suffering a lot. Because when he needed us the most we were not there. I was really busy taking care of everything, and Mustafa couldn’t be there. I feel terrible when I am with a group of people and other children are calling their fathers; my sons call my brother ‘father’, because they do not know anything. Then when I show them pictures I am trying to explain who their father is, and that he will come back.

EL: Sara, our daughter is very little and she doesn`t know very much about what is going on. She saw her father just in a photo but she does mention him a lot. She does feel some defect in our family. I hope she will be able to have her father next to her soon.

CP: What has been the effect of this ordeal on you?

SD: I think that I became a more mature person, stronger, more aware of the life that we live on this world. My life has changed positively, alhamdullillah, I accept everything that happens in different way now; I know that Allah is the most powerful one.

How have your husbands' families in Algeria been affected?

EL: They were very shocked to hear he was in Guantanamo Bay.

SD: My husband's family didn’t know anything what was going on. When Mustafa was kidnapped, I called his brother and told him. His parents still don’t know what has been going on; Mustafa asked me not to tell them.

CP: Sabiha, your brother in-law has pressed for your husband's release in Algeria - what has been the response to these attempts?

SD: Mustafa’s brother didn’t stop asking for the truth. But he didn’t get any positive answers nor would the government do anything.

CP: You yourself have also been quite active campaigning for his release - can you tell us about what action you have undertaken and what has been the response?

SD: Until today I visited almost every person in Bosnia, Reissul Ulema [Senior Islamic Scholars] too. All of them were willing to help but no one actually did anything. I am not giving up. Allah will help me to reach my goal.

CP: Have you had any significant dreams about your husband since he has been imprisoned?

SD: I had couple of dreams, where I saw Mustafa in our home with us, and he wasn’t in the mood to talk. Once I was dreaming, and I saw him telling us that he has to go, but he will come back soon, and he asked us to wait for him.

CP: What were your husbands like?

SD: Mustafa worked 24 hours a day, he didn’t have a fixed time, and he was there for everybody. He enjoyed working with children. He trained in Karate. He couldn’t live without sport. He used to say that he was relaxing while on training. Everybody liked him, the youth and elderly people, he had time for everybody. As a husband, he was very responsible and careful and a great father. He was modest and he liked helping others, he wasn’t rich but helping others made him feel rich. My children and I feel how much we miss him now. He used to take care of everything; he never had problems doing any kind of work.
Everybody from the small area where we used to live before knew him, people from city hall, the police, and regular people. Today when they meet me, they ask me about him. I am happy that I found such support in people who are friends of mine and my husband’s and others.

EL: Saber was quiet and in most of his free time he used to read. He was a man of principle, very gentle and very attached to his family.

CP: What is the public opinion in your country regarding your husbands? Does the public support your campaign?

EL: In the beginning, everyone was suspicious about them, but with time
everything became clear to all, so the public opinion changed and most of
the people believe that they are innocent.

SD: After the decision of Human Rights Chamber, everybody wanted to correct this mistake that was made. But it was too late.

CP: To what extent do you think the Bosnian Government were complicit in your husband's kidnap and extradition?

SD: The day when they were kidnapped, we contacted the embassy in Rome, and we were told that nothing would happen, and that they didn’t send any request to our Government. They told us that our husbands will go home with us. Unfortunately, the opposite happened.

EL: The US government are behind all but the Bosnian Government which, in that period, was giving generous aid to USA political aims.

CP: What has been the response of your government since then?

EL: Our Government has changed since then, and the present Government realized the mistake and attempted to help us. But that is not enough because the USA government plays the leading role in all this.

CP: You were promised compensation - have you received any?

EL: The Bosnian Human Rights Chamber ruled that each family should receive 5000 euros, but we have received just half of that amount.

SD: For my husband, I got payment of 3,100 Euros. The rest of the money the Federation should give us, but we still haven't got anything.

EL: They "don`t have enough money".

SD: The only thing they did is sent a request to the US to visit my husband and others taken away at the same time. They still didn’t get any answer.

CP: Your husbands are Algerian nationals - what has been the response of the Algerian government?

EL: The Algerian government have been very restrained. They say that they are not responsible for their extradition.

CP: Have you found much support from the Muslim community in Bosnia?

EL: Support from the Muslim community in Bosnia has always been strong because everybody knew that all this was a political game.

CP: Have you been in contact with any of the released detainees? What have they been able to tell you about your husband?

SD: Even though we were trying so hard to get in contact with released prisoners from Guantanamo, we were not able to do so.

CP: What messages do you have for our readers?

SD: My message to your readers is not to forget us in their prayers, and if you are able to help someone please do so. Allah tests us all.

EL: To remember the all brothers who are imprisoned there because anyone could be in that situation one day.

CP: What do you think of the website?

SD: I don’t know when you started your website, but since I visited it the
first time, I am really satisfied and I can only wish you the best for your work and I hope Allah will help you to continue with this.

EL: Your website is great, the best site I have found till today
on the web!

CP: Thank you, Sabiha and Emina, for speaking to us.