Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy - Repatriation To Egypt

Repatriation To Egypt

In early October American authorities announced that they had repatriated an Egyptian national back to his home country. Press reports quoted American authorities as saying that the Egyptian had been determined to no longer pose a security threat through an "Administrative Review" -- the follow-on to the Combatant Status Review Tribunal.

But on October 5, 2005, a Washington Post article positively identified the Egyptian being repatriated as Al Laithi. The Post quoted Commander Flex Plexico, who said:

"Prior to returning this detainee to Egypt, the United States received appropriate assurances from the government of Egypt regarding this detainee's treatment upon his return to Egypt. This includes assurances that this individual will continue to be treated humanely, in accordance with Egyptian and international legal obligations, while he remains in Egypt," Plexico said.

According to the article Pentagon spokesmen claimed:

"This individual's current health problems resulted from an injury sustained before our involvement with him. According to the detainee's statements to us, his injury was sustained in an automobile accident, and the damage has progressed over time," Plexico said.

"There are no indications that his condition was adversely affected by his detention."

Al Laithi was interviewed by a reporter for Al Ahram on October 26, 2005. In his interview he said that before he was repatriated to Egypt he was sent, briefly, to an American hospital, for an assessment. He reports that the medical records he was given, upon his repatriation, say the loss of the use of his legs was progressive, not sudden. They say it was the result of a traffic accident, before his detention. Al Laithi continues to claim the loss was due to brutal treatment while in custody. He claims the records are a forgery.