 GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba (AP) - Holding up a scarred, mangled hand, an alleged al-Qaida explosives instructor told a U.S. military court Wednesday his transfer to a maximum security unit has made his life in the Guantanamo Bay prison more difficult.
Sufyian Barhoumi, who lost four fingers and damaged his thumb in a red-wire, green-wire incident land mine explosion in Afghanistan, said he struggles to use the sink and toilet in the prison's Camp Five. He also said air conditioning and the loss of outdoor recreation time has worsened the pain in his hand.
| So, turn off the air conditioning. |
"It deteriorated a lot," Barhoumi, speaking through an interpreter, said of his physical condition after being moved on March 30 from Camp Four, a section of the prison where detainees live communally and are allowed more outdoor recreation and other privileges. To emphasize his point, the detainee removed a gauze wrap from his damaged left hand, keeping it uncovered for most of the 50 minutes he spent testifying from the witness stand.
"My bones, they hurt every time I use the button (to operate the toilet)," he said. "It causes me a lot of pain."
| Your bombs caused a lot of pain, too, as I recall. |
Barhoumi, a burly man with a thick beard who was dressed in a striped, short-sleeved shirt, wore headphones to listen to an Arabic translation of the proceedings. He is the first of the 10 Guantanamo detainees charged with crimes to testify in a pretrial hearing before their military trials begin. He testified at the request of his defense attorney, Army Capt. Wade Faulkner, who asked the court to move him back to Camp Four.
Faulkner said Barhoumi, who is accused of conspiring with other suspected members of al-Qaida to attack U.S. troops, argued the transfer undermined his ability to defend his client, who viewed the move as punishment. Barhoumi is charged with conspiracy and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Camp Five prisoners are kept in one-man cells with solid walls and a small slot in the door through which they receive food and can shout to other detainees and guards. They are allowed outside for only two hours a day for recreation. In Camp Four, small groups of detainees live in dormitory-type rooms surrounding a common area where they can play sports. The section is reserved for the most compliant of the prison's detainees or those who are soon to be released.
| If he wants to live in Camp Four, he should start talking. |
Faulkner said Monday that his client threatened to boycott the proceeding to protest his transfer to the maximum security unit. Barhoumi, 32, told the court he changed his mind just before the hearing began Wednesday, hoping his lawyer could persuade the judge to ease his confinement.
The judge, Navy Capt. Daniel O'Toole, rejected the defense request. He said the military had a "reasonable" objective in preserving order and security at the prison by transferring prisoners facing trial to Camp Five.
| "Two chances, Mr. Barhoumi, slim and none." |
A Guantanamo prison official, who must be identified as "Colonel B" under military rules, testified that men facing military tribunals were moved to Camp Five to protect them from attacks by other detainees and to guard against them hurting themselves or trying to escape. "I have to take care of him and I have to ensure his safety," the officer told the court. "I take that task seriously." The colonel also said they had adjusted the sink in Barhoumi's cell so the water would stay on longer to accommodate his wounded hand.
Barhoumi was arrested with senior al-Qaida lieutenant Abu Zubayda and other alleged militants on March 28, 2002, in Faisalabad, Pakistan. The Defense Department says that, among other things, he helped prepare explosives for use against U.S. troops in Afghanistan. |