News

Guantánamo inmate released to Belize after suing U.S. for wrongful imprisonment : NPR


Majid Khan, a 42-year-old Pakistani man, was released from the US military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday. Pictured here in 2022, he was sent to Belize after suing for unlawful imprisonment.

Constitutional Rights Center


hide captions

switch captions

Constitutional Rights Center


Majid Khan, a 42-year-old Pakistani man, was released from the US military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Thursday. Pictured here in 2022, he was sent to Belize after suing for unlawful imprisonment.

Constitutional Rights Center

Editor’s Note: This story includes pictorial descriptions of torture techniques.

A 42-year-old Pakistani man has spent nearly half his life incarcerated in the United States – first in a secret CIA prison where he was tortured, then in a US military prison Guantanamo Bay, Cuba – was released after suing the Biden administration for unlawful detention. He was resettled in the small Central American country of Belize.

Majid Khan was the first “high-value prisoner” – the government term for prisoners held at so-called CIA black sites – to be released from Guantánamo. He was also the first prisoner transferred by the Biden administration to a country other than his country of origin; Khan’s lawyers said he could not be safely sent to Pakistan because he had cooperated with US authorities.

“I deeply regret the things that I did years ago, and I have taken responsibility and tried to make up for them,” Khan said in a statement. “The world has changed a lot in twenty years, and I have changed a lot too.”

He added: “I have been given a second chance in my life and I intend to make the most of it… I promise all of you, especially the people of Belize, that I will be the a useful, law-abiding member of society.”

Khan was an unusual Guantánamo prisoner in many ways. Although he was born in Saudi Arabia and is a citizen of Pakistan, where he spent part of his childhood, he attended high school in suburban Maryland and speaks English fluently. In his 20s, after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, he moved to Pakistan to join al-Qaida and was captured by US forces in 2003.

He pleaded guilty to war crimes in 2012 — becoming one of only two men convicted in the history of the Guantánamo military court — and served his prison term in March 2022. However, he did. still there for almost a year, push his case.

“By what system do you end your sentence, when you are convicted by a court and still in prison? Where does that happen?” one of Khan’s attorneys, Katya Jestin of the law firm Jenner & Block, who has represented him professionally since 2009, said. “Definitely not in a democracy governed by a system of rules.”

In total, Khan spent more than 3 years at a CIA black site and over 16 years at Guantánamo.

Khan’s release from Guantánamo was delayed while the United States searched for a country to receive him. Last summer, government officials said they were working “urgently” to transfer Khan, but also said they had contacted 11 countries and had yet to find one that would accept him.

Although Khan has a family and a support system in Maryland, near Baltimore, a law passed by Congress in 2015 prevents Guantánamo detainees from entering the United States for any reason, leaving Khan cannot return to this state. His attorney argued that the law should not apply to him because he was a convicted prisoner who had completed his prison term. Jestin says that matter remains unresolved, “but, in any case, he intends to live in Belize”.

Transfers like Khan’s are delicate: Complicated Negotiation and the difficulty of finding countries willing to repatriate or resettle Guantánamo prisoners is a significant challenge, resulting in many prisoners there being released but still behind bars. Some have been in that limbo for more than a decade.

With Khan’s release, 34 men are still being held at Guantánamo, of the approximately 780 people who have passed through the prison since 2002. 20 of those 34 have never been charged with a crime and were approved for release by an amnesty-like board, but remained in custody while the United States searched for countries to obtain them. While Khan was charged and underwent trial, others were considered “permanent prisoners” held indefinitely without charge or trial.

Khan had no prior connection to Belize, an English-speaking country with a population of about 400,000, and US officials did not explain why they agreed to take him away. Countries that accept former Guantanamo detainees must commit to their humane treatment and security guarantees.

Belize, where Khan arrived on Thursday, insisted he was there as a free man for humanitarian reasons, similar to a migrant or refugee seeking a second chance. Jestin said Khan is learning Spanish, which is also widely spoken in the country. He also wants to get a job and expects his wife and daughter to join him, “so I hope he fits in easily,” she added.

Another attorney for Khan, Wells Dixon of the Center for Constitutional Rights, has represented him since he arrived at Guantánamo in 2006. In a statement, he said he was “delighted that Majid was able to get the job done.” freedom”, adding that “Belize has done an excellent job”. to prepare for his relocation, and their success is a model for other countries.”

Wells Dixon, left, and Katya Jestin, who has represented Khan for more than a decade, spoke to him on the phone shortly after he was released. Jestin criticized the US campaign at Guantánamo, calling it “the Frankenstein court with the Frankenstein rules.”

Matthew Hellman


hide captions

switch captions

Matthew Hellman


Wells Dixon, left, and Katya Jestin, who has represented Khan for more than a decade, spoke to him on the phone shortly after he was released. Jestin criticized the US campaign at Guantánamo, calling it “the Frankenstein court with the Frankenstein rules.”

Matthew Hellman

In announcing Khan’s transfer, the Department of Defense said: “The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Belize and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on population reduction. responsibly detained and finally closed Guantanamo Bay facility.”

At Khan’s house sentencinga military jury called on him to receive clemency after hearing details about abuse he experienced during his arrest: He was submerged in water, hanged by his wrists naked and hooded, and forced to “rectal feeding” which his attorney said was tantamount to anal rape , and many other abuses.

A military court judge, Colonel Douglas K. Watkins, was called Khan’s treatment “shocking” and said it “violates … the universal right not to be tortured under US and international law.”

Jestin, one of Khan’s attorneys, told NPR that she was happy he was released, but had harsh words for US government operations at Guantánamo.

“I really doubt that this is going to happen,” says Jestin, “because nothing at Guantanamo has played out in a predictable way based on a well-established rule of law…That’s it. a kind of Frankenstein court with Frankenstein rules really distorts what one might think of a democratic criminal justice system.”

Guantánamo’s military courts and prisons have cost American taxpayers more than 6 billion USD Since 2002.

This story has been edited by Meg Anderson.

news7f

News7F: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button