ACLU Statement on Biden’s Long-Delayed Transfer of Man Detained at Guantánamo For Over 15 Years

NEW YORK — The Biden administration has transferred Assadullah Haroon Gul, a man detained without charge at the Guantánamo Bay military prison for the last 15 years.
In October 2021, a federal judge ruled that the continued detention of Mr. Gul at Guantánamo was illegal. Prior to that court ruling, all relevant U.S. national security agencies concluded that Mr. Gul did not pose a threat to the United States and should be transferred from the prison. In its ruling, the federal court also found that Mr. Gul was not a member of Al Qaeda or any associated force, as the U.S. government wrongly alleged.
Upon his return to Afghanistan, Mr. Gul will be reunited with his wife, daughter, brother, and elderly mother. His lawyers say he is “desperate to get home” to make sure his daughter gets an education.

In response, Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, said:

“The Guantánamo Bay military prison is a catastrophic legal, moral, and ethical failure. It is a global symbol of American injustice, torture, and abuse of power. It’s encouraging that the Biden administration has transferred Mr. Gul, but 21 men who can be transferred still remain at Guantánamo. In particular, Majid Khan, who was extensively tortured by the United States and cooperated with U.S. authorities for over a decade, completed his prison sentence in March 2022, yet continues to be unlawfully imprisoned. The Biden administration needs to take more urgent actions to actually put an end to this extralegal and abhorrent prison and system.”