As President Joe Biden’s term nears its end, calls to free Abu Zubaydah, a Palestinian detainee held for more than two decades without charge at Guantánamo Bay, are growing. Advocacy groups, legal experts, and representatives of the United Nations are urging the president to act expeditiously and to put an end to what many describe as glaring human rights violation.
In a formal appeal, 12 UN special rapporteurs on human rights and 100 legal and human rights scholars have appealed to Biden to free Zubaydah. The 53-year-old detainee, called the “forever prisoner” of America, has been in detention since his capture in 2002. His plight is said to deteriorate with time because of his injuries sustained during torture and poor medial care.
“His immediate release and relocation to a third safe country are long overdue,” rapporteurs stated, pointing out various violations of the fundamental legal rights, such as restricted lawyer-client communication.
Abu Zubaydah’s Torture Story
Zubaydah, whose real name is Zayn Al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, was born in Saudi Arabia. He was captured in Faisalabad, Pakistan, in March 2002 by U.S. and Pakistani intelligence agencies. Initially labeled as a top al-Qaida operative, subsequent U.S. intelligence assessments revealed he likely had no direct connection to the 9/11 attacks and may not have been an al-Qaida member at all.
This notwithstanding, Zubaydah survived brutal treatment for decades. After having moved among a number of CIA black sites distributed in different countries including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Thailand, Diego Garcia, and Poland, he was waterboarded 83 times in just one month. A vivid drawing done by him and his testimonial about the torturous treatment where physical abuse was so extreme that it confused him with regard to his identity have brought an international outcry.
In a separate letter, US and international legal experts said the continued detention of Zubaydah is “a blight on the United States and its history.” They asked Biden to act personally, stating, “Your direct order to release and relocate Abu Zubaydah to a state where he can live in safety is perhaps the only action that can break through decades of bureaucratic inaction and fear.”
Biden’s Latest Moves On Transfers At Guantánamo
As Biden’s term comes to a close, he has sped up the release of Guantánamo detainees. In December, two were moved to Tunisia and Kenya, and 11 Yemeni detainees were resettled in Oman, the Pentagon reported. However, Zubaydah is among the 15 of its inmates that are still kept at the notorious detention center.
Among the detainees, three have been cleared for release already. One is Muieen Abd Al-Sattar, a Rohingya Burmese man of Pakistani citizenship who has been awaiting transfer for 15 years.
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