JEDDAH, 19 June 2006 — The father of Yasser Al-Zahrani, one of the Saudis who died in Guantanamo Bay recently, dismissed US claims that his son had committed suicide and said there were bruises on his son’s body, which arrived in the Kingdom on Saturday together with that of Manie Shaman Al-Utaibi.
“There are marks on Yasser’s body that show that he was beaten. This is in spite of the fact that 20 days have passed since his death and the body had undergone reconditioning,” Brig. Talal Abdullah Al-Zahrani told Al-Eqtisadiah business daily, a sister publication of Arab News.
Al-Zahrani said he had seen part of Yasser’s body, including his head, face and chest, at Shumaisy Hospital.
US authorities returned Yasser’s body after conducting a postmortem. Yasser’s family has rejected the American postmortem report, which claims he had committed suicide, and called for another postmortem by a neutral body.
Al-Zahrani is also seeking legal advice in pursuing a claim against the US authorities. He accused Zionists and neocons in the American administration of masterminding his son’s death. Asked why he did not believe reports that Yasser had taken his own life, Al-Zahrani said, “My son was a strong believer and suicide is against the teachings of Islam. He had memorized the Holy Qur’an and the letters we received from him while he was in Guantanamo indicate that his faith was strong. In fact, he was looking forward to a reunion with his family,” he said.
He also pointed out that it was difficult for a Guantanamo prisoner to commit suicide as the cells at the prison are under thorough surveillance and movements are monitored by cameras. “Moreover, according to the statements of his friends in Gitmo he used to encourage them to face their difficult situation with patience,” said Al-Zahrani.
Al-Zahrani said he would continue his efforts together with human rights organizations within and outside the Kingdom to defend the rights of Gitmo prisoners.
Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki told Arab News that doctors are currently performing an autopsy on the two bodies to identify the cause of death. “This is a regular procedure in such cases.”
Al-Zahrani hoped that he would receive the results of the autopsy within a couple of days. “After that we will take Yasser’s body to Madinah to bury him there,” he said. He emphasized that the result of the Saudi autopsy would not change his conviction that the American authorities strangled his son.
