Saifullah Paracha
{{Short description|Pakistani Guantanamo detainee (born 1947)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox War on Terror detainee
| name = Saifullah Abdullah Paracha
| image = Saifullah Paracha.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1947|08|17}}{{cite web|url=https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/82612-isn-1094-saifullah-paracha-jtf-gtmo-detainee/24296a4c4ca1ec8d/full.pdf|title=Recommendation for Continued Detention Under DoD Control (CD) for Guantanamo Detainee, ISN US9PK-001094DP (S)|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=December 1, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429071130/https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/82612-isn-1094-saifullah-paracha-jtf-gtmo-detainee/24296a4c4ca1ec8d/full.pdf|archive-date=April 29, 2022|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.prs.mil/Portals/60/Documents/ISN1094/151027_U_ISN1094_GOVERNMENTS_UNCLASSIFIED_SUMMARY_PUBLIC.pdf|title=Guantanamo Detainee Profile|date=27 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420012239/https://www.prs.mil/Portals/60/Documents/ISN1094/151027_U_ISN1094_GOVERNMENTS_UNCLASSIFIED_SUMMARY_PUBLIC.pdf|archive-date=April 20, 2022}}
| birth_place = Mangwal, Dominion of Pakistan
| death_date =
| death_place =
| date_of_release = October 29, 2022
| detained_at = CIA black sites; Bagram; Guantanamo
| id_number = 1094
| group =
| alias =
| charge =
| penalty =
| status = Released
| occupation =
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}}
Saifullah Abdullah Paracha (born August 17, 1947) is a citizen of Pakistan who was held without charge in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps, in Cuba for over 18 years.{{Cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Carol |date=2022-10-29 |title=U.S. Releases Guantánamo's Oldest Prisoner |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/29/us/politics/oldest-prisoner-gitmo-terrorism.html |access-date=2022-11-01 |issn=0362-4331}} He was released on October 29, 2022. As of May 18, 2021, Saifullah Paracha was approved for release by American authorities{{Cite web|last=AP|date=2021-05-18|title=US approves release of oldest Guantanamo prisoner — a 73-year-old man from Pakistan|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1624317|access-date=2021-05-18|website=DAWN.COM|language=en|archive-date=May 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518110949/https://www.dawn.com/news/1624317|url-status=live}} after his son Uzair Paracha's conviction was overturned in 2018 and the younger Paracha was repatriated to Pakistan in March 2020.
On October 29, 2022, Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar stated that Saifullah Paracha has been released from Guantanamo prison and has returned to Pakistan.{{Cite web |title=Pakistani Guantanamo Bay prisoner Saifullah Paracha returns home |url=https://www.radio.gov.pk/29-10-2022/pakistani-guantanamo-bay-prisoner-saifullah-paracha-returns-home |website=Radio Pakistan}}{{Cite web |date=September 6, 2022 |title=Pakistani Guantanamo Prisoner Saifullah Paracha Set To Return Home As 'Free Citizen' |url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/2022/09/06/pakistani-guantanamo-prisoner-saifullah-paracha-set-to-return-home-as-free-citizen/ |website=The Friday Times}}
Early life
The Department of Defense reports that Paracha was born on August 17, 1947, in Mangowal Kalan, village in tehsil Shahpur of District Sargodha in Punjab Pakistan. He graduated from a university in Karachi with a degree in physics and attended New York Institute of Technology, studying computer systems analysis.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}
At the time of his capture, Paracha legally resided in the United States, in Queens, New York City. He managed various businesses such as travel agencies, real estate, and a media company. He obtained his green card in 1980.{{Cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Carol |date=2022-10-29 |title=U.S. Releases Guantánamo's Oldest Prisoner |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/29/us/politics/oldest-prisoner-gitmo-terrorism.html |access-date=2022-10-29 |issn=0362-4331}}
Arrest
Officials pretending to be Kmart representatives told him they need to meet him in Bangkok, Thailand, to discuss a deal. He was captured by FBI agents in July 2003. He was accused of meeting Osama Bin Laden and helping 'facilitate financial transactions and propaganda' for the 9/11 orchestrators. He also allegedly met with bin Laden during a delegation of Pakistani dignitaries.
He was then taken to Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan where he was initially held.
A little over a year into his imprisonment, he suffered a heart attack and was moved to Guantanamo Bay. He underwent heart surgery in 2006 at the hospital in Guantanamo Bay.{{Cite news |author=Joel Seidman |date=November 20, 2006 |title=Heart surgery must be at Guantanamo: Court denies Pakistani detainee's request to have procedure done off base |publisher=NBC News |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15816696 |url-status=dead |access-date=January 12, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305111455/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15816696/ |archive-date=March 5, 2016}}
Combatant Status Review
{{Main|Combatant Status Review Tribunal}}
A Summary of Evidence memo was prepared for Saifullah Paracha's Combatant Status Review Tribunal, on October 6, 2004.[http://wid.ap.org/documents/detainees/saifullahparacha.pdf documents (.pdf)]{{Dead link|date=March 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} from Saifullah Paracha's Combatant Status Review Tribunal – [{{DoD detainees ARB|Set_10_1089-1144.pdf#1-19}} - mirror pages 1-19]
Saifullah Paracha v. George W. Bush
A writ of habeas corpus, Saifullah Paracha v. George W. Bush, was submitted on Saifullah Paracha's behalf.{{Cite web
| url = http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/publicly_filed_CSRT_records_4608-4737.pdf#1
| title = Saifullah Paracha v. George W. Bush 04-CV-2022 (PLF)
| date = December 8, 2004
| pages = 1–58
| publisher = United States Department of Defense
| access-date = June 10, 2008
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080510103157/http://www.dod.mil/pubs/foi/detainees/csrt_arb/publicly_filed_CSRT_records_4608-4737.pdf#1
| archive-date = May 10, 2008
}}
In response, on December 21, 2004, the Department of Defense published fifty-eight pages of unclassified documents related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
On December 8, 2004, Tribunal panel 24 convened and confirmed Saifullah Paracha's "enemy combatant" status.
Press reports
On July 12, 2006, the magazine Mother Jones provided excerpts from the transcripts of a selection of the Guantanamo detainees.[http://motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/07/detainee_sidebar.html "Why Am I in Cuba?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719193012/http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2006/07/detainee_sidebar.html |date=July 19, 2006 }}, Mother Jones (magazine), July 12, 2006
Paracha was one of the detainees profiled.
According to the article his transcript contained the following exchange:
{{blockquote|
Tribunal president: I do know you had some questions about the legality of your detention. That would be referred to other organizations of the government, but you will be receiving more specific instructions shortly of how to bring your question to U.S. courts.
Paracha: Your honor, I have been here 17 months; would that be before I expire?
Tribunal president: I would certainly hope so, especially since you are under the care of the U.S. government while you are here. As far as some of the other statements you made about jurisdiction, this is a U.S. government executive decision in regards to the detention of enemy combatants….
Paracha: Your honor, my question is that your executive order is applicable around the earth?
Tribunal president: It is a global war on terrorism.
Paracha: I know, sir, but you are not the master of the earth, sir….
Tribunal president: Would you be surprised to hear that Osama bin Laden founded Al Qaeda and Al Qaeda includes people from all over the world? People from America, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Philippines, and people from wherever?
Paracha: Sir, how could anybody know who Al Qaeda is?
Tribunal president: Good question. That's a very good question.}}
On June 2, 2008 Zachary Katznelson appealed to the Pakistani government for assistance, stating:{{Cite news
| url = http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5giLUpVAaGUydZFrjW693FNPe4lXA
| title = Lawyer for Guantanamo inmate urges Pakistan govt help
| publisher = Agence France Press
| date = June 2, 2008
| access-date = June 2, 2008
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110520140237/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5giLUpVAaGUydZFrjW693FNPe4lXA
| archive-date = May 20, 2011
| url = http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=116193
| title = Pakistanis still languishing in Guantanamo Bay without trial
| publisher = The News (Pakistan)
| author = Jan Khaskheli
| author-link =
| date = June 2, 2008
| access-date = June 1, 2008
| url-status = live
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20080602180252/http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=116193
| archive-date = June 2, 2008
}}
{{blockquote|Political intervention is the only hope for Saifullah Paracha to receive justice.}}
Joint Review Task Force
On January 21, 2009, the day he was inaugurated, United States President Barack Obama issued three Executive orders related to the detention of individuals in Guantanamo Bay.{{cite news
|url = http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/10/25/who-are-the-55-cleared-guantanamo-prisoners-on-the-list-released-by-the-obama-administration/
|title = Who Are the 55 Cleared Guantánamo Prisoners on the List Released by the Obama Administration?
|publisher =
|author = Andy Worthington
|author-link = Andy Worthington
|date = October 25, 2012
|page =
|location =
|isbn =
|trans-title =
|access-date = February 19, 2015
|quote = I have already discussed at length the profound injustice of holding Shawali Khan and Abdul Ghani, in articles here and here, and noted how their cases discredit America, as Khan, against whom no evidence of wrongdoing exists, nevertheless had his habeas corpus petition denied, and Ghani, a thoroughly insignificant scrap metal merchant, was put forward for a trial by military commission — a war crimes trial — under President Bush.
|archive-date = July 17, 2019
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190717184537/http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2012/10/25/who-are-the-55-cleared-guantanamo-prisoners-on-the-list-released-by-the-obama-administration/
|url-status = live
| author = Andy Worthington
| url = http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/06/11/does-obama-really-know-or-care-about-who-is-at-guantanamo/
| title = Does Obama Really Know or Care About Who Is at Guantánamo?
| date = June 11, 2010
| access-date = July 21, 2010
| archive-date = June 16, 2010
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100616161842/http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/06/11/does-obama-really-know-or-care-about-who-is-at-guantanamo
| url-status = live
| title = Justice task force recommends about 50 Guantanamo detainees be held indefinitely
| author = Peter Finn
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012104936.html
| newspaper = Washington Post
| date = January 22, 2010
| access-date = July 21, 2010
| archive-date = May 4, 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150504225142/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/21/AR2010012104936.html
| url-status = live
| title = Most Guantanamo detainees low-level fighters, task force report says
| author = Peter Finn
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052803873.html
| newspaper = Washington Post
| date = May 29, 2010
| access-date = July 21, 2010
| archive-date = May 10, 2015
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150510052105/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/28/AR2010052803873.html
| url-status = live
}}
That new review system was composed of officials from six departments, where the OARDEC reviews were conducted entirely by the Department of Defense. When it reported back, a year later, the Joint Review Task Force classified some individuals as too dangerous to be transferred from Guantanamo, even though there was no evidence to justify laying charges against them. On April 9, 2013, that document was made public after a Freedom of Information Act request.{{cite news
| url = https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1020057-guantanamo-parole-list.html
| title = 71 Guantanamo Detainees Determined Eligible to Receive a Periodic Review Board as of April 19, 2013
| publisher = Joint Review Task Force
| date = April 9, 2013
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150519230955/https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1020057-guantanamo-parole-list.html
| archive-date = May 19, 2015
| access-date = May 18, 2015
| url-status = live
}}
Saifullah Paracha was one of the 71 individuals deemed too innocent to charge, but too dangerous to release.
Obama said those deemed too innocent to charge, but too dangerous to release would start to receive reviews from a Periodic Review Board.
Periodic Review Board
The first review wasn't convened until November 20, 2013. Paracha was approved for transfer on May 13, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.prs.mil/Portals/60/Documents/ISN1094/SubsequentReview3/210513_CUI_ISN1094_SH3_FINAL_DETERMINATION_U_PR.pdf|title=Unclassified Summary of Final Determination|date=May 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127183142/https://www.prs.mil/Portals/60/Documents/ISN1094/SubsequentReview3/210513_CUI_ISN1094_SH3_FINAL_DETERMINATION_U_PR.pdf|archive-date=January 27, 2022|url-status=live}}
Paracha's son
Paracha's son, Uzair Paracha, was convicted in 2005 for providing support to Al-Qaeda, that included assistance for Majid Khan to obtain documents.{{cite news
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4465240.stm
| work = BBC News
| title = US convicts man of al-Qaeda plot
| date = November 24, 2005
| access-date = May 23, 2010
| archive-date = August 6, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120806064413/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4465240.stm
| url-status = live
}}
On July 3, 2018, 15 years after his arrest, Uzair's conviction was deemed void by Judge Sidney H. Stein based on newly discovered statements made by Ammar Al Baluchi, Majid Khan and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. Stein, who oversaw Paracha's trial and imposed his sentence, called it a "manifest injustice" to let the conviction stand and granted Paracha's request, made in November 2008, for a new trial.{{cite news
| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-alqaeda/new-york-judge-voids-pakistani-mans-conviction-for-aiding-al-qaeda-idUSKBN1JT2J9
| work = Reuters
| title = New York judge voids Pakistani man's conviction for aiding al Qaeda
| date = July 3, 2018
| access-date = February 13, 2019
| archive-date = April 5, 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190405205015/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-crime-alqaeda/new-york-judge-voids-pakistani-mans-conviction-for-aiding-al-qaeda-idUSKBN1JT2J9
| url-status = live
}}
Uzair was freed on 13 March 2020 and willingly repatriated to Pakistan, giving up his resident status.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/nyregion/uzair-paracha-al-qaeda.amp.html |title=Once-Accused al Qaeda Sympathizer Goes Home |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 16, 2020 |access-date=April 4, 2020 |archive-date=May 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518110950/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/16/nyregion/uzair-paracha-al-qaeda.html |url-status=live |last1=Weiser |first1=Benjamin }}
References
{{Reflist|refs=
| url = http://www.prs.mil/ReviewInformation/InitialReview.aspx
| title = Periodic Review Secretariat: Review Information
| publisher = Periodic Review Secretariat
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160415130314/http://www.prs.mil/ReviewInformation/InitialReview.aspx
| archive-date = April 15, 2016
| url-status = live
}}
}}
External links
- [http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/23/secret-us-cables-accessed-by-dawn-through-wikileaks-saifullah-parachas-continued-detention-at-gitmo-a-mystery.html Secret US cables accessed by Dawn through WikiLeaks: Saifullah Paracha's continued detention at Gitmo a mystery]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090628001247/http://www.reprieve.org.uk/saifullahparacha Saifullah Paracha] Reprieve
- [http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/2010/06/16/un-secret-detention-report-part-two-cia-prisons-in-afghanistan-and-iraq/ UN Secret Detention Report (Part Two): CIA Prisons in Afghanistan and Iraq] Andy Worthington, June 16, 2010
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703233009/http://www.theparachafamily.tk/ The Paracha Family: From 1947 till now], a support site
{{Controversies surrounding people captured during the War on Terror}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paracha, Saifullah}}
Category:Detainees of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp
Category:Pakistani extrajudicial prisoners of the United States
Category:Bagram Theater Internment Facility detainees
Category:People subject to extraordinary rendition by the United States