Abdul Ghani, an Afghani citizen from the poor village of Khoshab, has been a detainee in Guantanamo Bay since March 23, 2003. He was seized from his village in November 2002 and sold to US forces for an unspecified amount of money. He has now been held for nine years without a trial. The main allegation against Abdul is that he transported weapons, specifically rockets, to earn money. Contrary to the accepted legal practise of most Western nations, Abdul has never been charged or given the opportunity to confront the evidence against him. In fact, there is almost universal recognition, in his village, that he is the victim of mistaken identity, and has been held for nearly ten years because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There is overwhelming anecdotal evidence indicating that Abdul has a very low IQ bordering on severe cognitive impairment rendering him incapable of deliberately and consciously participating in any terroristic acts against the United States. Abdul Ghani continues to have a good reputation in his village, and the villagers support his release and would support him in becoming reintegrated into his former profession as a farmer. He intends to once again become a valued member of the local village community, and will remain under the supervision of his brothers and village elders.
We urgently call upon the United States government to immediately release Abdul Ghani to the care of the Afghani government and his village elders. In consideration of the length of his detention without trial or evidence combined with the likelihood of misidentification, his low level cognitive abilities, the questionable nature of the evidence against him and his continued and passionate insistence on his innocence, it is unquestionably incumbent upon the United States Department of Justice, the State Department and the Office of the President to negotiate and arrange for the return of Abdul Ghani to Afghanistan with the Afghani government and the village of Khoshab immediately.
For further information regarding Abdul Ghani please see:
Abdul Ghani, An Insignificant Afghan Villager Held in Guantánamo for Nine Years - Articles - Welcome to "Close Guantánamo" http://bit.ly/HljcLR
Andy Worthington: Controversy Still Plagues Guantanamo's Military Commissions http://huff.to/JXjYG6
We urgently call upon the United States government to immediately release Abdul Ghani to the care of the Afghani government and his village elders. In consideration of the length of his detention without trial or evidence combined with the likelihood of misidentification, his low level cognitive abilities, the questionable nature of the evidence against him and his continued and passionate insistence on his innocence, it is unquestionably incumbent upon the United States Department of Justice, the State Department and the Office of the President to negotiate and arrange for the return of Abdul Ghani to Afghanistan with the Afghani government and the village of Khoshab immediately.
