US delays prosecuting Sudan man held by UAE in Yemen

President Donald Trump’s administration has delayed a decision on whether to prosecute a Sudanese prisoner accused of being a member of Al-Qaeda and currently held by the United Arab Emirates for over a year in Yemen, the New York Times reported.

The Sudanese national, Abu Khaybar, was captured by the UAE in mid-2016 during a counter-terrorism raid.

UAE officials agreed to transfer the prisoner to the US to undergo a federal prosecution. Law officials in the US believe that there is strong evidence to suggest that Abu Khaybar was part of the Al-Shabaab armed group in Somalia, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda.

The details of Abu Khaybar’s capture are currently unknown.

Last month US officials decided not to immediately bring Abu Khaybar to America, a decision that renders his case in limbo and raises questions over his liberty.

Read: US kills senior Al-Qaeda figures in Yemen

In a similar incident, a US national has been unlawfully detained in Iraq since September last year for allegedly fighting for armed groups in Syria. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a US-based human rights organisation, filed a habeas corpus petition this month on behalf of the detainee and for unmonitored access to the detainee. The ACLU argues that detaining a person without charge and evidence violates the US Constitution’s guarantee of due process.

Previously, President Donald Trump aired views that he is willing to fill up Guantanamo Bay, a controversial American prison for detainees accused of terrorism charges. But the US government has refrained from sending prisoners to Guantanamo Bay since 2008.  Former President Barack Obama promised to close the prison during his presidency, but failed.

Last week marked the 16th anniversary since the opening of Guantanamo Bay. Some 779 men were held in the controversial prison since 2002, 41 remain, with 31 of them having endured torture during more than a decade of imprisonment without charge.

The UAE is currently a primary partner to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, battling against the Iranian-backed Houthi group. The Emirates has additionally taken on counter-terrorism as one of its remits in Yemen.

Abu Dhabi has come under immense criticism following human rights violations in areas under its influence in southern and eastern Yemen, especially the establishment of 18 secret prisons in liberated provinces, notably Aden and Mukalla. These have witnessed brutal torture, according to an investigation published by Associated Press last June.

Read: UN official calls on Houthis to refrain from shipping threats