Biden Administration Releases 2 Pakistani Detainees from Guantanamo Bay
U.S. officials returned two Pakistani brothers to their home country Thursday after holding them two decades without charges at the Guantanamo Bay military prison.
Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani were the latest detainees to be released from U.S. custody as the U.S. moves toward emptying and shutting down the prison.
The George W. Bush administration set it up at a naval base in Cuba for extremist suspects rounded up after the Sept. 11, 2001 al-Qaida attacks on the United States.
The two brothers were originally transferred to U.S. custody after Pakistani officials arrested them in their home city of Karachi in 2002. U.S. officials accused the two of helping al-Qaida members with housing and other lower-level logistical support.
The brothers alleged torture while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo.
U.S. military records describe the two as providing little intelligence of value or recanting statements made during interrogations on the grounds they were obtained by physical abuse.
The U.S. military announced their repatriation in a statement. It gave no immediate information on any conditions set by Pakistan regarding their return there.
“The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Defense Department said.
Guantanamo at its peak in 2003 held about 600 people considered terrorists by the U.S. Supporters of using the facility for such figures argue it prevented attacks. Critics say the military detention and courts subverted human rights and constitutional rights and undermined the United States’ standing abroad.
Thirty-two detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 eligible for transfer if stable third-party countries can be found to take them, the Pentagon said.
Many are from Yemen, a country considered too plagued with war and extremist groups and too devoid of services for freed Yemeni detainees to be sent there.
Nine of the detainees are defendants in slow-moving military-run tribunals. Two others have been convicted.
The statement from the Department of Defense appears in its entirety here:
The Department of Defense announced today the repatriations of Abdul Rabbani and Mohammed Rabbani from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to Pakistan.
On May 13, 2021, after Review Committee action pursuant to Executive Order 13567, it was determined that continued law of war detention of Abdul Rabbani (ISN 1460) was no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.
On August 17, 2021, a Periodic Review Board (PRB) determined by consensus that continued law of war detention of Mohammad Rabbani (ISN 1461) was no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the national security of the United States and that the national security risk from Mohammad Rabbani could be adequately mitigated. Pursuant to Executive Order 13567, that determination became final on October 7, 2021, after all Principals concurred.
On January 18, 2023, Secretary of Defense Austin notified Congress of his intent to repatriate Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani to the Government of Pakistan, and, in consultation with the Pakistani partners, we completed the requirements for transfer.
The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility.
The PRB process was established by the President’s March 7, 2011, Executive Order 13567. It is consistent with section 1023 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2012 and affirmed in Executive Order 13823 (January 30, 2018).
The PRB panel consists of one senior career official each from the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, along with the Joint Staff and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Today, 32 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay: 18 are eligible for transfer; 3 are eligible for a Periodic Review Board; 9 are involved in the military commissions process; and 2 remaining detainees have been convicted in military commissions.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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