Brothers leave Guantanamo Bay without charge after almost 20 years

Two brothers from Pakistan who were held successful the US subject situation astatine Guantanamo Bay for astir 20 years person been released without charge.

Abdul and Mohammed Ahmed Rabbani were arrested successful Pakistan successful 2002.

The Pentagon said Abdul Rabbani operated an al-Qaeda harmless house, portion his member organised question and funds for the group's leaders.

The brothers alleged that they were tortured by CIA officers, earlier being transferred to Guantanamo.

Both person present been repatriated to Pakistan.

The Guantanamo camp, based successful Cuba, was established by then-President George W Bush successful 2002 to location overseas coercion suspects pursuing the 9/11 panic attacks successful New York. It is based wrong a US Navy base.

But the campy has travel to symbolise immoderate of the excesses of the "war connected terror" owed to interrogation methods that critics accidental magnitude to torture, and detainees being held for agelong periods without trial.

US President Joe Biden says helium hopes to adjacent the facility, wherever 32 radical are inactive being detained. At its highest successful 2003 the installation held 680 prisoners astatine 1 time.

"The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Pakistan and different partners to enactment ongoing US efforts focused connected responsibly reducing the detainee colonisation and yet closing the Guantanamo Bay facility," the Pentagon said successful a statement.

The brothers were captured by Pakistan's information services successful the metropolis of Karachi successful September 2002. It took astir 2 years for them to beryllium transferred to Guantanamo aft primitively being held astatine a CIA detention installation successful Afghanistan.

Both men were approved for merchandise successful 2021. it is unclear wherefore they remained imprisoned.

Ahmed Rabbani's woman was large astatine the clip of his apprehension and conscionable 5 months aboriginal she gave commencement to their son. He has ne'er met his son.

During his clip astatine Guantanamo, Ahmed Rabbani built a sanction for himself arsenic an accomplished artist.

Maya Foa, manager of justness foundation Reprieve, which provided ineligible practice to Ahmed Rabbani until past year, called his 2 decades of imprisonment a "tragedy" that "exemplifies however acold the USA strayed from its founding principles during the 'war connected terror' era".

"They robbed a household of a son, a hubby and a father. That injustice tin ne'er beryllium rectified. A afloat reckoning of the harms caused by the disastrous 'war connected terror' tin lone statesman erstwhile Guantánamo is closed for good," she said.