Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, one of the first detainees banished to the American military prison at Guantánamo Bay, was recommended for release by the military and a federal court. Instead, he died behind bars, having spent the last 11 years in prison.

Originally from Yemen, Latif was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 by the U.S. military, which accused him of working for al-Qaeda.

But three years into his confinement at Guantánamo, the Department of Defense concluded Latif was not a threat and should be released. The military came to the same conclusion again in 2006 and 2008.

A federal judge ordered Latif’s release in 2010, but an appeals court overturned the ruling the following year.

Both the Bush and Obama administrations were reluctant to free Latif and others from Yemen, citing the country’s poor security conditions for keeping them locked up.

The military has not said how Latif died. An autopsy was performed after his body was found in his cell, but the results were still pending. He was 36 years old.

Latif had participated in hunger strikes and was confined in the “disciplinary” wing of the prison for throwing bodily fluids on guards. He also suffered from depression and was placed on suicide watch sometime in the past.

Nine detainees have died at Guantánamo since 2002. There are now 167 men still be held in the prison.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Military Identifies Guantánamo Detainee Who Died (by Charlie Savage, New York Times)

US: Death at Guantanamo Underscores Need to Close Facility (Human Rights Watch)

Guantanamo Detainee Found Dead Had Recently Gone on Hunger Strike (by Julie Tate, Washington Post)

Death #7 at Guantánamo (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)

The Mysterious Deaths of 3 Guantánamo Prisoners (by David Wallechinsky and Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)