Two Pakistani brothers, Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani, who have been held at the Guantanamo Bay military prison for two decades, were released by US officials on Friday and returned to Pakistan. They will be reunited with their families after being questioned by Pakistani authorities. The brothers were arrested in 2002 in Karachi, on suspicion of their links to al-Qaeda. The US Defence Department announced their repatriation in a statement the previous day.
The brothers alleged torture while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo. US military records describe the two as providing little intelligence of value, and that they did not recant statements made during interrogations on the grounds they were obtained by physical abuse. The brothers\’ release was the latest US move toward emptying and shutting down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
The US government set up the prison to house extremist suspects after the 9/11 attacks. Supporters of using the detention facility for such figures say doing so prevented attacks. At its peak in 2003, it held about 600 people considered terrorists by the US. There were 40 detainees when President Joe Biden took office in 2021. Biden has said he hopes to close the facility. Critics say the military detention and courts subverted human rights and constitutional rights and undermined American 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.
After two decades of imprisonment, two Pakistani brothers, Abdul and Mohammed Rabbani, have been released from the Guantanamo Bay military prison and returned to Pakistan. The brothers were arrested in 2002 in Karachi on suspicion of their links to al-Qaeda, and have alleged torture while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo. US military records describe the two as providing little intelligence of value.
The US Defence Department announced their repatriation in a statement the previous day. The brothers\’ release is the latest US move toward emptying and shutting down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which was set up to house extremist suspects after the 9/11 attacks. There were 40 detainees when President Joe Biden took office in 2021. Biden has said he hopes to close the facility. Thirty-two detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 18 eligible for transfer if stable third-party countries can be found to take them.
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