FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 24, 2023
CONTACT: Rev. T.C. Morrow,  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  and 202-547-1920

Brothers Released from Guantánamo

WASHINGTON, DC - On Thursday, February 23, 2023, the Department of Defense announced the repatriation of Mohammed Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani and Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani to Pakistan from the detention center at Guantánamo Bay.

The brothers were held in U.S. custody for more than 20 years without any charges being filed against them.

Rev. Ron Stief, Executive Director of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, issued the following statement following announcement of the transfer, "Following their clearance for transfer in 2021 through an extensive review process, NRCAT is glad for the release this week of Mohammed Ahmed Ghulam Rabbani and Abdul Rahim Ghulam Rabbani from Guantánamo Bay. The two brothers endured torture during approximately 550 days in a CIA-run detention site in Afghanistan and subsequently were held at Guantánamo for nearly 19 years in indefinite detention without charge. We are grateful to the government of Pakistan for receiving these two Pakistanis back to their home country, and assisting the U.S. in reducing the population of Guantánamo to 32, making it more likely that it can be closed sometime in the near future. As the brothers are reunited with their family, we pray for healing as they move on with their lives."

Today 32 men remaining in detention at Guantánamo. 18 men have been cleared for transfer through review processes, 3 men are eligible for a Periodic Review Board, 9 men are in the military commissions process, and 2 men have been convicted in military commissions.

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) is a membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Since its formation in January 2006, more than 300 religious organizations have joined NRCAT, including representatives from the Catholic, evangelical Christian, mainline Protestant, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Orthodox Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Baha’i, Buddhist, and Sikh communities. Members include national denominations and faith groups, regional organizations and local congregations.

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