Saifullah Paracha
Saifullah Abdullah Paracha | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 17, 1947 Mangowal Kalan, Shahpur tehsil, District Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Detained without charges at Guantanamo Bay for over 18 years |
Saifullah Abdullah Paracha (born August 17, 1947) is a Pakistani national who was detained without formal charges at the United States' Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba for more than 18 years. He was freed on October 29, 2022. In May 2021, U.S. officials approved his release after the reversal of his son Uzair Paracha's conviction in 2018, with Uzair having been repatriated to Pakistan in March 2020.
On October 29, 2022, Pakistan’s Foreign Office officially confirmed Saifullah Paracha’s release and his return to Pakistan.
Early life
According to the Department of Defense, Saifullah Paracha was born on August 17, 1947, in Mangowal Kalan, Shahpur tehsil, located in District Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan. He earned a degree in physics from a university in Karachi and pursued studies in computer systems analysis at the New York Institute of Technology.
At the time of his arrest, Paracha was a lawful resident of Queens, New York City, overseeing various enterprises such as travel agencies, real estate ventures, and a media firm. He received his green card in 1980.
Arrest
In July 2003, FBI agents apprehended him in Bangkok, Thailand after luring him under the pretense of Kmart representatives. He faced allegations of having met Osama Bin Laden and aiding financial dealings and propaganda efforts connected to the planners of the September 11 attacks. It was claimed that he encountered bin Laden during a delegation visit by Pakistani officials.
Initially detained at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, Paracha suffered a heart attack more than a year into his confinement. Subsequently, he was moved to Guantanamo Bay where he underwent heart surgery in 2006.
Combatant Status Review
A Summary of Evidence memorandum was drafted for Paracha’s Combatant Status Review Tribunal on October 6, 2004.
Saifullah Paracha v. George W. Bush
A habeas corpus petition was filed on behalf of Paracha. In response, on December 21, 2004, the Department of Defense released fifty-eight pages of unclassified material related to his Combatant Status Review Tribunal.
On December 8, 2004, Tribunal panel number 24 upheld Saifullah Paracha’s designation as an "enemy combatant."
Press reports
On July 12, 2006, Mother Jones published excerpts from transcripts involving selected Guantanamo detainees including Paracha. His transcript contained this dialogue:
On June 2, 2008, Zachary Katznelson called upon the Pakistani government for support stating:
Joint Review Task Force
On January 21, 2009, President Barack Obama issued three Executive orders concerning the detention procedures for individuals held at Guantanamo Bay. Unlike earlier reviews conducted solely by the Department of Defense, this new process incorporated officials from six different departments. One year later, the Joint Review Task Force categorized some detainees as too dangerous to release despite insufficient evidence to formally charge them. The list identifying these detainees was made public on April 9, 2013 following a FOIA request.
Among the group of seventy-one detainees deemed too innocent for charges yet too risky to free was Saifullah Paracha. President Obama declared that those classified in this manner would be subject to evaluations by a Periodic Review Board.
Periodic Review Board
The initial evaluation took place on November 20, 2013. Paracha received approval for transfer on May 13, 2021.
Paracha's son
Uzair Paracha, the son of Saifullah Paracha, was found guilty in 2005 of providing support to Al-Qaeda, which included assisting Majid Khan in acquiring documents.
On July 3, 2018, after spending 15 years in detention, Judge Sidney H. Stein overturned Uzair’s conviction following new testimonies from Ammar Al Baluchi, Majid Khan, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammad. Stein, who presided over the original case, described maintaining the conviction as a "manifest injustice" and granted a motion for a retrial that had been filed in 2008.
Uzair was released on March 13, 2020, and chose to return voluntarily to Pakistan, surrendering his resident status.
External links
- Secret US cables accessed by Dawn through WikiLeaks: Saifullah Paracha's continued detention at Gitmo
- Saifullah Paracha Reprieve
- UN Secret Detention Report (Part Two): CIA Prisons in Afghanistan and Iraq Andy Worthington, June 16, 2010
- The Paracha Family: From 1947 till now, a support site