Two Pakistani Brothers Leave Guantanamo After 20 Years Without Charges
Two Pakistani brothers who were detained by the United States at Guantanamo Bay for 20 years without charge have been released and have returned home. Abdul, aged 55, and Mohammed Rabbani, aged 53, were greeted by Pakistani officials upon their arrival at Islamabad airport. They will be reunited with their families after undergoing formal questioning by Pakistani authorities.
The brothers were arrested in Karachi in 2002 and were accused by US officials of providing lower-level logistical support to al-Qaeda members. They claimed to have been tortured while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo. US military records suggest that they provided little intelligence of value.
Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani, arrested from Karachi in 2002
The release of the brothers is part of the US government’s ongoing efforts to reduce the detainee population and ultimately close the Guantanamo Bay facility. The facility was established by the George W Bush administration after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US and has been the subject of controversy due to allegations of human rights violations and the indefinite detention of prisoners without charge.
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Guantanamo once held about 600 prisoners, but now has 32 detainees, including 18 who are eligible for transfer to stable third-party countries. Many of the remaining prisoners are from Yemen, which is considered too unstable for freed prisoners to be sent there. Nine inmates are defendants in military-run tribunals, and two others have been convicted.
