Free Ravil Mingazov
Ravil Mingazov is an innocent Russian citizen who was held without trial or charge in Guantanamo Bay from 2002 to 2017 before being transferred to the UAE where he remains imprisoned without charge.
Ravil Mingazov is a Russian Muslim who was held without charge or trial in Guantanamo Bay prison for 15 years. Mingazov was released in January 2017 with all charges dropped, and he was transferred for resettlement to the UAE.
Despite concerns voiced at the time by the United Nations that he would be mistreated there, Mingazov still expected to rebuild his life.
He was imprisoned immediately upon arrival in the UAE, and has been in prison ever since. He is now at imminent risk of being forcibly repatriated to Russia, where he is likely to face religious persecution and further torture.
This has been the experience of many repatriated Guantanamo prisoners even though they have been cleared for release and all terrorism charges against them dropped.
Ravil Mingazov is ethnically Tartar. He trained to be a ballet dancer and was part of a number of dance troupes. In 1987, at the age of 19 he was conscripted into the Russian army, where he served as a private, performing for the Russian Army Ballet Troupe.
Following this, he served as a warrant officer in a passport control office for approximately 8 years. He served voluntarily as a regimental supply officer in the army until 2000. He was kidnapped in Pakistan before being sent to Bagram, then Guantanamo.
You can read more about Ravil here and watch a CAGE interview with his son.
Moazzam Begg, who was held with Mingazov in Bagram, said:
“Ravil is a deeply principled and courageous individual. I spent several weeks next to him in a cell where we spoke in hushed tones – in broken English, Arabic and Russian – because speaking aloud was an infraction of the rules. Despite this, I remember Ravil standing up and shouting at the soldiers who were throwing copies of the Quran around. He knew they would punish him by shackling his hands to the ceiling above his head whilst covering it with a hood but that did not deter him.
I’ve heard about him from many prisoners since my release and everyone speaks of him with such deep love and respect.
Having recently met his son Yusuf – who Ravil last saw in 1999 – I see so many traits of his father: dignity, courtesy, courage and hope.”
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Dear Ms Kaidanow
I am writing to you as a concerned citizen who has been made aware of Ravil Mingazovs case. He is a Russian Tartar citizen who was held unlawfully in US custody in Bagram and Guantanamo for 15 years where he faced torture and abuse.
Despite the lengthy time he spent in Guantanamo Bay, he was never charged with a crime and was never designated for trial. When he was set to be released from Guantanamo Bay, he was given the option of returning to Russia which he had to refuse based on the risk of harm and persecution he would face upon returning there. He had heard about other Guantanamo Bay prisoners who returned to Russia who were subjected to abuse, arbitrary detention and one was even killed extrajudicially by the Russian security services. In 2017 Ravil was transferred to the UAE with an understanding that he would be resettled there and be able to rebuild his life.
This unfortunately didnt happen, and Ravils arbitrary detention and torture has only increased and he has been in solitary confinement in the UAE for over 6 years. He has been denied legal representation and has had limited contact to his family, they have only seen him once in the last 3 years. Ravils son, Yusuf, does not remember meeting his father as he was so young when he was taken from him, and has only managed short phone calls of a few minutes during his detention in the UAE.
Of the 23 former Guantanamo prisoners sent to the UAE, Ravil is the only one who remains in custody and he must be freed immediately. Many who have been freed have described the conditions within prisons in the UAE as far worse than Guantanamo, one Afghan who was detained there for 4 years said Ive faced many prisons, but the worst was our stay in the UAE.
The US are responsible for the conditions Ravil is facing currently, and he has suffered 6 years in breach of non-refoulement in the UAE and faces further risk of torture and abuse as they are trying to send him back to Russia. As a state that has been accused of war crimes in Ukraine, the notion that Ravil could be sent there with tacit approval by the US government would result in Ravils detention and further abuse.
The UN recently suggested that the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo is a crime against humanity. Ravils ongoing imprisonment is a clear continuation of that crime. As the senior representative of Guantanamo Affairs and overseeing detainee transfers, I am requesting your urgent intervention in Ravils case, to ensure he is relocated to a state where he will be free and safe and will be able to reunite with his son, who is a UK citizen and resident.
I hope to hear from you regarding this.
Yours sincerely
