By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN human rights experts on Wednesday have called for the immediate release of Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, known as Abu Zubaydah, who has been detained without charge by US authorities at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility for 20 years.
United States military sent 11 long-term detainees from the facility to Oman after reached agreement with the Government there on relocation and resettlement, rights experts said.
They stressed that only 15 detainees remain, according to news reports.
The prison opened in 2002 and at its peak it held over 600 prisoners overseen by over 2,000 military and civilian personnel.
The experts reminded in a press release issued on Wednesday that Abu Zubaydah was captured in March 2002 in Faisalabad, Pakistan, after the 11 September 2001 attacks, transferred to CIA custody and held at multiple secret locations, where he was reportedly tortured.
They noted that despite being imprisoned for nearly two decades, he remains in Guantánamo Bay without any formal charges having been made.
“We are exceptionally requesting a Presidential pardon for Mr. Abu Zubaydah, owing to his treatment while in detention and the lack of due process since he was first detained,” the experts stated.
“His immediate release and relocation to a third safe country are long overdue.”
The experts highlighted Abu Zubaydah’s serious health conditions, which include injuries sustained during torture that have allegedly been exacerbated by the denial of medical attention.
They noted significant impediments to lawyer-client communication.
The experts noted that various international and regional human rights mechanisms have examined Abu Zubaydah’s case, established that he has suffered multiple human rights violations within the context of the US rendition and secret detention programme.
“In addition to his liberation, we request that Mr. Abu Zubaydah is accorded an enforceable right to compensation and other measures of reparation, in accordance with international law,” the working group members and Special Rapporteurs said.
The experts emphasized the profound psychological and physical trauma he has endured due to torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and enforced disappearance.
They reiterated their call for the US Government to immediately release and relocate him to a safe third country.
“We recall the principle of joint responsibility that applies to States when more than one of them was involved in the perpetration of a human rights violation,” the experts said.
“Accordingly, we call on States to proactively offer their territory for the prompt relocation of Mr. Abu Zubaydah.”
They expressed concerns about the continued detention of 14 other individuals at Guantánamo Bay, who are in varying stages of legal proceedings and face allegations of ongoing human rights abuses.
Comments are closed.