Mohammed Nazir Lep
| Mohammed Nazir bin Lep | |
|---|---|
 Mohammed Nazir bin Lep in 2008 | |
| Born | December 26, 1976[1][2] Johor, Malaysia |
| Arrested | 2003 Bangkok, Thailand Royal Thai Police |
| Detained at | CIA black sites, Guantanamo |
| Other name(s) | Lillie, Bin Lep, Bin Lap, Ali, Mohammad Nasir Bin Lep, Bashir Bin Lep |
| ISN | ISN10022 |
| Charge(s) | Charged before a military commission in 2021 |
| Status | Pleaded guilty[3] |
| Relatives | Najib Lep (Elder brother) |
Mohammed Nazir bin Lep (also referred to as Lillie; born December 26, 1976) is a Malaysian alleged to be affiliated with Jemaah Islamiyah and Al-Qaeda, who was held in American DoD custody in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. He is one of 119 detainees previously held at secret Black Sites abroad,[4] which included being subjected to Enhanced Interrogation Techniques.[5][6] In the ODNI biographies, Bin Lep is described as a high value detainee and lieutenant of Hambali (along with another alleged subordinate, Mohamad Farik Amin). He was transferred from clandestine custody to the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba, on September 6, 2006.
Early life
[edit]Mohammed Nazir bin Lep was born in 1976 in Johor, Malaysia. He received a degree in architecture from Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia (UPTM). After completing his degree, he completed compulsory military service in the Malaysian Army.[5]
Guantanamo detainment
[edit]Mohammed Nazir bin Lep was detained in Guantanamo Bay in 2006 when he was transferred into DoD custody. Throughout his internment, the Malaysian Government has sought to repatriate him in addition to another Malaysian national held in Guantanamo Bay.[7]
Guantanamo Review Task Force
[edit]On January 21, 2009, the day he was inaugurated, United States President Barack Obama issued three executive orders related to the detention of individuals in Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[8][9][10][11] That new review system was composed of officials from six departments, where the OARDEC reviews were conducted entirely by the Department of Defense. When it reported back, a year later, the Guantanamo Review Task Force classified some individuals as too dangerous to be transferred from Guantanamo, even though there was insufficient evidence to justify charging them. On April 9, 2013, that document was made public after a Freedom of Information Act request.[12] He was one of the 71 individuals deemed unable to be charged due to insufficient evidence, but too dangerous to release. Obama said those deemed unable to be charged due to insufficient evidence but too dangerous to release would start to receive reviews from a Periodic Review Board.
Periodic Review Board
[edit]The first review wasn't convened until November 20, 2013.[13] As of 15 April 2016[update], 29 individuals had reviews, but Nazir was not one of them. Nazir was denied approval for transfer on September 15, 2016.[14]
Trial
[edit]In August 2021, Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, Hambali, and Mohammed Farik bin Amin were charged by the United States government with murder and terrorism for their involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings.[15] On January 26, 2024, a military jury at Guantánamo sentenced Nazir and Farik to 23 years' confinement for their roles in the bombings. However, the sentence may be reduced to at most 6 years' confinement due to a secret deal the pair reached with a senior Pentagon official. They were granted the reduced sentence in exchange for agreeing to testify against Hambali. [16]
On December 18, 2024, Nazir and Farik were transferred to Malaysia.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "JTF GTMO Detainee Profile" (PDF). nyt.com. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Rosenberg, Carol (16 January 2024). "Malaysian Prisoners Plead Guilty to Conspiring in 2002 Bali Bombing". The New York Times.
- ^ "Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program" (PDF). United States Intelligence Committee. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Detainee Biographies" (PDF). Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-09-01.
- ^ "Bush: CIA holds terror suspects in secret prisons". CNN. September 7, 2006. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved 2007-08-10.
- ^ Iman, Kyle (3 December 2019). "TWO MALAYSIANS HAVE BEEN HELD AT GUANTANAMO BAY FOR 13 YEARS, DESPITE NEVER BEING CHARGED". CIL!SOS.my. Current Issues Tambah Pedas. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Andy Worthington (2012-10-25). "Who Are the 55 Cleared Guantánamo Prisoners on the List Released by the Obama Administration?". Archived from the original on 2015-03-08. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
I have already discussed at length the profound injustice of holding Shawali Khan and Abdul Ghani, in articles here and here, and noted how their cases discredit America, as Khan, against whom no evidence of wrongdoing exists, nevertheless had his habeas corpus petition denied, and Ghani, a thoroughly insignificant scrap metal merchant, was put forward for a trial by military commission — a war crimes trial — under President Bush.
- ^ Andy Worthington (June 11, 2010). "Does Obama Really Know or Care About Who Is at Guantánamo?". Archived from the original on June 16, 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ Peter Finn (January 22, 2010). "Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-05-04. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ Peter Finn (May 29, 2010). "Most Guantanamo detainees low-level fighters, task force report says". Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2015-05-10. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ "71 Guantanamo Detainees Determined Eligible to Receive a Periodic Review Board as of April 19, 2013". Joint Review Task Force. 2013-04-09. Archived from the original on 2015-05-19. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
- ^ "Periodic Review Secretariat: Review Information". Periodic Review Secretariat. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- ^ Final determination Department of Defense
- ^ Carol Rosenberg (August 30, 2021). "Three Guantánamo Detainees Charged in 2002 Bali Bombing". New York Times. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ Rosenberg, Carol (26 January 2024). "Bali Bombing Conspirators Get 5 More Years at Guantánamo Bay". New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/us/politics/malaysian-prisoners-repatriated-gitmo.html
External links
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