Report No. 29 (2021) IACHR. Petition No. 12.865 (Estados Unidos)

• Case Number: 12.865
• Year: 2020
• Report Number: 29
• Respondent State: United States
• Case Type: Merits
• Court: Inter-American Comission of Human Rights
• Alleged Victim: Djamel Ameziane

REPORT No. 29/20

CASE 12.865

MERITS REPORT (PUBLICATION)

DJAMEL AMEZIANE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Approved electronically by the Commission on April 22, 2020.

OEA/Ser.L...

.

.

D.. 39

22 April 2020

Original: English

Cite as: IACHR. Report No. 29/20. Case 12.865. Merits (Publication). D...A.. United

States. April 22, 2020.

www.cidh.org

1

INDEX

I. SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

II. POSITIONS OF THE PARTIES ................................................................................................................................................... 4

A. Petitioners ....................................................................................................................................................................... 4

B. State ................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

III. PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATION ........................................................................................................................................... 5

IV. FINDINGS OF FACT ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6

A..C.: The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the U.S. legal resp onse............................. 6

B. Information about D..A. ne .................................................................................................................. 8

C..M...A.’s detention at Kandahar airbase, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba ........ 9

1. I. about the impact of indefinit e detention on Mr. Ameziane ......................... 13

2. Additional information about interrog ations at Guantánamo Bay .................................... 14

3. Information about medical c are at Guantánamo Bay .............................................................. 15

4. Information about interferenc e with religious practice and religious abuse ............... 16

5. Information about the impact of his time in U.S. custody on M r. Ameziane and his

family ............................................................................................................................................................. 17

D. The right to habeas corpus for Guantánamo detaine es and Mr. Ameziane’s fed eral habeas

petition ........................................................................................................................................................................... 18

1. Legal framework and development s, 2002-2009 ...................................................................... 18

2. Mr. Ameziane’s habeas corpus petition........................................................................................... 19

E. Mr. Ameziane’s forced transf er to Algeria from Guantána mo Bay ...................................................... 23

1. General framework and co nsiderations regarding transfers ............................................... 23

2. Mr. Ameziane’s forced transf er .......................................................................................................... 25

F..M...A.’s situation sin ce returning to Algeria .................................................................................. 27

G..A. of legal remedies for violations alleged in this report ...................................................... 27

1. Remedies to challenge detention conditions at Guantána mo Bay ..................................... 27

2. Remedies to secure the ret urn of confiscated property ......................................................... 27

3. Investigation and criminal prosecuti on of acts of torture ..................................................... 28

4. Remedies to receive civil re parations for harms suffered in U.S. cu stody...................... 28

H. The current situation of detainees at Guantánamo Bay ........................................................................... 29

V. ANALYSIS OF LAW ...................................................................................................................................................................... 29

A..P. considerations regardi ng applicable law .............................................................................. 29

1. Application of the A...D. and interpretation in light of dev elopments

in international human rights law since its ado ption .............................................................. 29

2. Application and interaction of internatio nal humanitarian law with international

human rights law ...................................................................................................................................... 30

B. Right to protection from arbitrary detentio n (Arts. I and XXV) ............................................................ 31

1. International human rights a nd humanitarian law standards regardi ng arbitrary

detention ...................................................................................................................................................... 31

2

2. Arbitrary detention at Guantánamo Bay ....................................................................................... 33

3. Arbitrary detention of Mr. Ameziane .............................................................................................. 33

C. Right to humane treatment in detention (Arts. I and XXV), in connection with the right to

religious freedom (Art. III), to the preservation of health and to well-being (Art. XI), and to the

protection of private and family life (Arts. V and VI) ................................................................................. 35

1. The prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment

(CIDT) ............................................................................................................................................................ 36

2. International human rights s tandards regarding detentio n conditions .......................... 38

3. Particular considerations regarding solitary confinement, incommunicado, and

indefinite detention ................................................................................................................................. 40

4. P.ar considerations regarding adequate medical care in detention ..................... 41

5. Particular considerations regarding freedom of religio n and belief in detention ...... 42

6. The right to private and family life in the context of detention ........................................... 43

7. Torture and other cruel, inh uman, or degrading treatment or pu nishment of Mr.

Ameziane ...................................................................................................................................................... 43

D. Right to freedom of expression, assembly, and petition (Arts. IV, XXI and XXIV) ......................... 51

E. Right to due process of law (Art. XXVI) and to an effective legal remedy (Art. XVIII) ................ 52

1. L. of an effective legal remedy to challenge Mr. Amezi ane’s detention...................... 53

2. L. of an effective remedy to challenge conditions of confinement at Guantánamo

.......................................................................................................................................................................... 54

3. L. of effective civil remedies to receive reparations for torture, arbitrary detention,

and other claims ....................................................................................................................................... 54

4. L. of effective remedies to investigate a nd punish torture and other grav e human

rights violations ........................................................................................................................................ 55

F. R. to equality under the law (Art. II) .......................................................................................................... 59

G. The obligation of non-refoulement, in connectio n with the rights to due proc ess and an

effective remedy ......................................................................................................................................................... 61

1. The prohibition of refoulement in inter-American jurisprudence and other

international instrument s .................................................................................................................... 61

2. The obligation to ensure due process to evaluate claims of possible

refoulement ................................................................................................................ 63

3. Refoulement of Mr. Ameziane ............................................................................. 64

H...R. to protection of honor and personal reputation (Art. V) in connection

with rights to equality, due process, and an effective remedy ............................ 64

I. Right to property (Art. XXIII) in connection with rights to equality, due process

and the presumption of innocence, and an effective remedy .............................. 65

J. Aggravated State responsibility ....................................................................................... 66

VI. ACTIONS SUBSEQUENT TO REPORT No. 156/18 .................................................................................... 66

VII. ACTIONS SUBSEQUENT TO REPORT 97/19............................................................................................... 68

VIII. FINAL CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: ................................................................................. 68

IX. PUBLICATION .......................................................................................................................................................... 70