Oldest prisoner in Guantanamo Bay released and reunited with family after 17 years - without ever being charged

29 October 2022, 22:48

The oldest prisoner in Guantanamo Bay has been set free after 17 years in prison, without ever being charged with a crime.

Pakistani businessman Saifullah Paracha, 75, was released from the US base in Cuba and reunited with his family adn friends, his country's foreign ministry said.

“We are glad that a Pakistani citizen detained abroad is finally reunited with his family,” it said.

Mr Paracha, who lived in the US and owned property in New York, was suspected of having links with Al Qaeda.

He was told in May 2021 that his release had been approved, but no specific reason was given for letting him out.

Mr Paracha's lawyer said that his time in Guantanamo was a reminder of how the war on terror, the US' response to the 9/11 attacks, "led us to the depths of depravity".

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Shelby Sullivan-Bennis said: “Saifullah Paracha’s long-awaited return home cuts both ways. It is an indescribable blessing and a tragic reminder of how America’s fear following 9/11 led us to the depths of human depravity, ripping apart families and holding its members in prison for decades, only to be released following ‘wrongful conviction’ judgments, and many without any trial whatsoever.

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“There is no such thing as justice deferred, and after nearly 20 years languishing in an offshore prison – held without charge or trial – to be returned home at age 75 to live out his twilight years with his family, that is what we have here.”

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Michael Kugelman, a south Asia expert at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, told the Guardian: “Paracha’s release was in the works for quite some time, but for it to come now is a big win for a Pakistani government that’s struggled to deliver good news.

"It could also work as a confidence-building measure for US-Pakistan relations at a moment when the relationship has already enjoyed some momentum.”

Mr Paracha was accused of helping two of the 9/11 conspirators with a financial transaction. He has denied any knowledge that the men were part of Al Qaeda, and said he had no involvement in terrorism.

Mr Paracha, who suffered from diabetes and a heart condition, was arrested in Thailand in 2003 and sent to Guantanamo in September 2004.

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Some 780 prisoners have been kept in Guantanamo Bay since the detention centre opened in 2002. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden pledged to shut it down, though Mr Obama failed and Mr Biden has authorised expansions of the camp since coming to power.

Only 35 prisoners are still held at the camp as of October 2022.