Reprieve Client Adel al Hakeemy Released to Kazakhstan

Adel al Hakeemy, a 45-year-old Tunisian, was yesterday released from Guantanamo Bay to Kazakhstan after 13 years in prison without charge or trial.

A chef by training who worked at several restaurants in Bologna, Italy, Adel had moved to Pakistan to get married. He and his wife were living in Afghanistan at the time of the 2001 invasion, and Adel was seized and sent to Guantanamo as he fled the war zone. Adel suffered severe beatings during his initial period in U.S. custody, particularly at the U.S. base in Kandahar.

127 men remain detained at the US prison, approximately half of whom have been cleared for release yet remain detained without charge or trial. Those remaining include British resident Shaker Aamer, who has been cleared for release under both the Bush and Obama administrations but has not yet been released to his family in London.

Cori Crider, Reprieve's Strategic Director and Adel's attorney, said: "We thank the Kazakh government and the U.S. State Department for their work to free these men. All Adel wants now is to regain his health, see his daughter, and start his life again. We are very encouraged by this wave of releases at the end of 2014, and hope we see more of the dozens of cleared men left in Guantanamo rejoin their families early next year."