Afghan people liberated from Guantanamo Bay 15 years later

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Afghan prisoners detained in the United States for nearly 15 years are finally released from the Guantanamo Bay camp, the Taliban of Afghanistan. rice field. The government and international human rights groups said Friday.

The release of Asadullah Haroon Gul was announced by the Taliban Minister of Culture and Information Zabihullah Mujahid. He wrote on Twitter that Gul was one of the last two Afghan prisoners detained in Guantanamo Bay.

The United States opened a detention center under President George W. Bush in January 2002 after the terrorist attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan. It was intended to detain and cross-examine prisoners suspected of being associated with al-Qaeda or the Taliban at the time. Then the scores of the suspects from multiple countries were sent there.

After the report came out, the detention center became infamous, where the detainees were humiliated and tortured.

Mujahideen said Gull was handed over to the Taliban government after consultation with US authorities. "As a result of the efforts of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and direct and active exchanges with the United States, Asadura Harun, one of the remaining two detainees, was released from Guantanamo Prison," he said on Twitter. Stated.

In some photos shared by Mujahid, Suhail Shaheen, a high-ranking Taliban official based in Doha, Qatar, was seen welcoming Gul with a smile.

Mujahid did not share any further details about Gul's whereabouts.

Shaheen told The Associated Press that Gul had been handed over to a representative of Doha "following direct involvement with the Islamic Emirate." He said Gull was to fly to Kabul soon. He said Gull was detained in the U.S. military in Jalalabad in 2007 and then detained without trial for the next 15 years.

Also on Friday, UK-based rights group Reprieve said Gul had been released from the Guantanamo Bay camp for free. In a statement, Gull also stated that he was sent to Guantanamo Bay in 2007. Representative. "

"The amnesty and law firm Luis Birch Kaufman Middlemis filed a petition for Habeas Corpus on his behalf in 2016, where he demanded his release," he added. After years of proceedings, in October 2021, "The District Court of the District of Columbia ruled that the detention of Asadura was not legal. He was part of the Hezb-e-Islami (HIA). So it has been officially peaceful since 2016 and he was not part of al-Qaeda. "The judge thus ordered his release, it said.

According to a statement, Gull suffered severe physical and mental torture during detention, including being beaten, hanging on his wrist, deprived of food and water, and unable to pray. He has been exposed to lack of sleep, frigidity, and cell detention. "

Regarding the release of Gul, Reprieve's lawyer Mark Maher said that Gul" completely made his daughter's childhood. You'll never miss it and get back what was stolen from him, but at least you're able to rebuild it. " His life with his family who have been waiting to see him for so long.