{"id":69889,"date":"2020-11-29T18:42:01","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T18:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/11\/29\/bidens-win-means-some-guantanamo-prisoners-may-be-released\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:41:09","slug":"bidens-win-means-some-guantanamo-prisoners-may-be-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/11\/29\/bidens-win-means-some-guantanamo-prisoners-may-be-released\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden\u2019s win means some Guantanamo prisoners may be released"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 The oldest prisoner at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/09\/01\/trial-in-911-case-at-guantanamo-gets-early-2021-start-date\/\" target=_blank>the Guantanamo Bay detention center<\/a> went to his latest review board hearing with a degree of hope, something that has been scarce during his 16 years locked up without charges at the U.S. base in Cuba.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Saifullah Paracha, a 73-year-old Pakistani with diabetes and a heart condition, had two things going for him that he didn\u2019t have at previous hearings: a favorable legal development and the election of Joe Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President Donald Trump had effectively ended the Obama administration\u2019s practice of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2016\/08\/16\/15-guantanamo-bay-detainees-sent-to-uae-in-single-biggest-transfer-under-obama\/\" target=_blank>reviewing the cases of men held at Guantanamo and releasing them<\/a> if imprisonment was no longer deemed necessary. Now there\u2019s hope that will resume under Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI am more hopeful now simply because we have an administration to look forward to that isn\u2019t dead set on ignoring the existing review process,\u201d Paracha\u2019s attorney, Shelby Sullivan-Bennis, said by phone from the base on Nov. 19 after the hearing. \u201cThe simple existence of that on the horizon I think is hope for all of us.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/11\/5-things-to-know-about-guantanamo-bay-on-its-115th-birthday\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"203\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gitmo2.jpg_288367.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">5 things to know about Guantanamo Bay on its 115th birthday<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Dozens of detainees remain at &quot;Gitmo&quot; and President Trump has ordered that it remain open indefinitely.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Guantanamo was once a source of global outrage and a symbol of U.S. excess in response to terrorism. But it largely faded from the headlines after President Barack Obama failed to close it, even as 40 men continue to be detained there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those pushing for its closure now see a window of opportunity, hoping Biden\u2019s administration will find a way to prosecute those who can be prosecuted and release the rest, extricating the U.S. from a detention center that costs more than $445 million per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden\u2019s precise intentions for Guantanamo remain unclear. Transition spokesman Ned Price said the president-elect supports closing it, but it would be inappropriate to discuss his plans in detail before he\u2019s in office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His reticence is actually welcome to those who have pressed to close Guantanamo. Obama\u2019s early pledge to close it is now seen as a strategic mistake that undercut what had been a bipartisan issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think it\u2019s more likely to close if it doesn\u2019t become a huge press issue,\u201d said Andrea Prasow, deputy Washington director at Human Rights Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The detention center opened in 2002. President George W. Bush\u2019s administration transformed what had been a sleepy Navy outpost on Cuba\u2019s southeastern tip into a place to interrogate and imprison people suspected of links to al-Qaida and the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. authorities maintain the men can be held as \u201claw of war\u201d detainees, remaining in custody for the duration of hostilities, an open-ended prospect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At its peak in 2003 \u2014 the year Paracha was captured in Thailand because of suspected ties to al-Qaida \u2014 Guantanamo held about 700 prisoners from nearly 50 countries. Bush announced his intention to close it, though 242 were still held there when his presidency ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Obama administration, seeking to allay concerns that some of those released had \u201creturned to the fight,\u201d set up a process to ensure those repatriated or resettled in third countries no longer posed a threat. It also planned to try some of the men in federal court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But his closure effort was thwarted when Congress barred the transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo to the U.S., including for prosecution or medical care. Obama ended up releasing 197 prisoners, leaving 41 for Trump. <\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2018\/06\/08\/us-military-plans-as-if-guantanamo-wont-close-for-decades\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP18158638487250.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US military plans for future at Guantanamo because of Trump<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump\u2019s order in January to keep the Guantanamo jail open, and allow the Pentagon to bring new prisoners there, is prompting military officials to consider a future for the controversial facility that the Obama administration sought to close.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trump in his 2016 campaign promised to \u201cload\u201d Guantanamo with \u201csome bad dudes,\u201d but largely ignored the issue after rescinding Obama\u2019s policies. His administration approved a single release, a Saudi who pleaded guilty before a military commission. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of those 40 remaining, seven men have cases pending before a military commission. They include five men accused of planning and supporting the Sept. 11 attacks. Additionally, there are two prisoners who were convicted by commission and three facing potential prosecution for the 2002 Bali bombing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Commission proceedings, including death penalty cases related to the Sept. 11 attacks, have bogged down as the defense fights to exclude evidence that resulted from torture. Trials are likely far in the future and would inevitably be followed by years of appeals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense attorneys say the incoming administration could authorize more military commission plea deals. Some have also suggested Guantanamo detainees could plead guilty in federal court by video and serve any remaining sentence in other countries, so they wouldn\u2019t enter the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Detainee advocates also say Biden could defy Congress and bring prisoners to the U.S., arguing that the ban wouldn\u2019t stand up in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s either do something about it or they die there without charge,\u201d said Wells Dixon, a lawyer for two prisoners, including one who has pleaded guilty in the military commission and is awaiting sentencing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The remaining detainees include five who had been cleared for release before Trump took office and have languished since. Advocates want the Biden administration to review the rest, noting that many, had they been convicted in federal court, would have served their sentences and been released at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhittle it down to the folks who are being prosecuted and either prosecute them or don\u2019t, but don\u2019t just hang on to them,\u201d said Joseph Margulies, a Cornell Law School professor who has represented one prisoner. \u201cAt great expense, we walk around with this thing around our necks. It does no good. It has no role for national security. It\u2019s just a big black stain that provides no benefit whatsoever.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"674\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20330676665625.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"Saifullah Paracha is the oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center.\" class=\"wp-image-99433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20330676665625.jpg.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20330676665625.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20330676665625.jpg.jpg?resize=768,431 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP20330676665625.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,575 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Saifullah Paracha is the oldest prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. (Counsel to Saifullah Paracha via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years, nine prisoners have died at Guantanamo: seven from apparent suicide, one from cancer and one from a heart attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paracha\u2019s attorney raised his health issues, which include a heart attack in 2006, at his review board, speaking by secure teleconference with U.S. security and defense agencies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She also raised an important legal development. Paracha, who lived in the U.S. and owned property in New York City, was a wealthy businessman in Pakistan. Authorities say he was an al-Qaida \u201cfacilitator\u201d who helped two of the Sept. 11 conspirators with a financial transaction. He says he didn\u2019t know they were al-Qaida and denies any involvement in terrorism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uzair Paracha, his son, was convicted in 2005 in federal court in New York of providing support to terrorism, based in part on the same witnesses held at Guantanamo that the U.S. has relied on to justify holding his father. In March, after a judge threw out those witness accounts and the government decided not to seek a new trial, Uzair Paracha was released and sent back to Pakistan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Had his father been convicted in the U.S., his fate might have been the same. Instead, it will likely be in Biden\u2019s hands and, Sullivan-Bennis said, time is of the essence. \u201cIt could be a death sentence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Biden&#8217;s precise intentions for Guantanamo remain unclear, however.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":79723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":68,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25,68],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2157],"class_list":["post-69889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-pentagon-congress"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"NQPEOZ2WXZEZ7D6BUTUY7LEKBY","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-military\/2020\/11\/29\/bidens-win-means-some-guantanamo-prisoners-may-be-released\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Biden\u2019s win means some Guantanamo prisoners may be released - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Biden&#039;s precise intentions for Guantanamo remain unclear, however.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biden\u2019s win means some Guantanamo prisoners may be released\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Biden&#039;s precise intentions for Guantanamo remain unclear, however.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/11\/29\/bidens-win-means-some-guantanamo-prisoners-may-be-released\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-11-29T18:42:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T12:41:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ben Fox, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ben Fox, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": 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