Dear Friends,

With news over the weekend of Saifullah Paracha's repatriation to Pakistan from the prison at Guantanamo, thirty-five Muslim men remain imprisoned there, at a cost to the U.S. of at least $540 million annually.

For nearly two decades, NRCAT and the religious community have joined human rights partners in faithfully advocating to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. This prison stands as a stark reminder of U.S. torture and the failure of the U.S. Congress to achieve bi-partisan consensus on basic human rights, including the right to trial.

Twenty-three of the men imprisoned at Guantanamo have never been charged with a crime. Twenty of these men have been recommended for transfer by unanimous agreement of the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State; the Joint Staff; and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Some have waited for transfer for over a decade after being cleared and are still being held in the prison.

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress To Support Guantanamo Transfers

For the few remaining detainees charged in the military commissions system, the Biden Administration should bring the work of the commissions to a close with plea deals now on the table, while also meeting the plea requests of these detainees for no death penalty, no solitary confinement, and a promise of treatment for the physical and mental trauma caused by the torture they endured. This would get us one step closer to closing the prison.

In the meantime, Congress can support the President by passing a FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would not unnecessarily encumber the Administration’s options for closing Guantanamo. Congress can also support allowing for emergency medical care for the aging population that cannot necessarily be handled at Guantanamo. At 75, Mr. Saifullah was the oldest man held at Guantanamo and he suffered two heart attacks while in U.S. custody. 

Please write to your Members of Congress now and tell them to vote to end the restrictions on transferring detainees out of Guantanamo.

The House version of the NDAA, which passed in July, removed all transfer restrictions for Guantanamo detainees. However, the Senate version of the bill retains current transfer restrictions. The Senate will finalize its NDAA after the election, following which a Conference Committee will work to reconcile differences between the two versions. Then the House and Senate will vote on the final version of the bill.

You can help by telling your Members of Congress that you support lifting the transfer restrictions for Guantanamo detainees in the FY23 NDAA and closing Guantanamo. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to closing Guantanamo. Together we will not forget and we will prevail. 

Sincerely,

Rev. Ron Stief
Executive Director