US embassy cable - 04ANKARA6370

C O N F I D E N T I A L ANKARA 006370 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/09/2014 
TAGS: PTER, KAWC, PINR, PREL, TU, IZ 
SUBJECT: GUANTANAMO: TURKS CLAIM TURKISH CITIZENSHIP FOR 
DETAINEE, SEEK INFORMATION ON HIS STATUS 
 
Classified By: Counselor for Political-Military Affairs Timothy A. Bett 
s for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (U) This is an action request--please see para. 3. 
 
2. (C) On November 10, Togan Oral of MFA's Directorate for 
Intelligence handed PolMilOff a copy of a Turkish national 
registration document for Mesut Sen.  According to the Turks, 
this is the same Mesut Sen (US9BE-00296DP) who is currently 
detained at Guantanamo and classified by DoD as a Belgian 
citizen (and not a Turk).  The GOT claims that Sen is (or is 
also) a Turkish citizen and requests access to information 
regarding Sen's current status and welfare.  According to 
Oral, this document (Nufus Kayit Ornek in Turkish, or 
Population Document Copy) is commonly used as proof of 
Turkish citizenship.  The document shows that Mesut Sen was 
born Feb. 20, 1981 in Belgium.  The document also lists 
details about his parents and siblings (apparently he is a 
twin).  MFA's Oral also requested that the contents of the 
document--which includes personal information about other 
members of Sen's family--not be released to the public out of 
respect for Turkish data privacy laws. 
 
3. (C) Action Request: Embassy will forward the document, 
which is a legible certified photocopy but of poor quality, 
to EUR/SE by registered pouch (registry number 9007445). 
Request the Department, upon verification that the Mesut Sen 
listed is the person currently detained at Guantanamo, 
provide information on his status that we can pass to the GOT. 
EDELMAN