January, 19 2017, 10:00am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Reprieve's London office can be contacted on: communications [at] reprieve.org.uk / +44 (0) 207 553 8140.,Reprieve US,, based in New York City, can be contacted on Katherine [dot] oshea [at] reprieve.org
Cleared Guantanamo Prisoner Files Last-Ditch Lawsuit Seeking Immediate Release
A cleared Moroccan who should have been released months ago has begged a federal judge to cut through the red tape keeping him stranded in Guantanamo Bay.
Abdul Latif Nasser, 51, was unanimously cleared by the Periodic Review Board for transfer home to Morocco on July 11, but remains imprisoned because the government's transfer process has been too slow. He now faces indefinite detention at the mercy of the Trump Administration.
A cleared Moroccan who should have been released months ago has begged a federal judge to cut through the red tape keeping him stranded in Guantanamo Bay.
Abdul Latif Nasser, 51, was unanimously cleared by the Periodic Review Board for transfer home to Morocco on July 11, but remains imprisoned because the government's transfer process has been too slow. He now faces indefinite detention at the mercy of the Trump Administration.
According to court documents filed this week, the Moroccan government's final agreement to repatriate Abdul Latif arrived on December 28, 2016, which was too late for President Obama to give the 30-days notice required by the US Congress. There is no evidence that the Obama Administration did anything to hurry the agreement along.
Last Friday, Abdul Latif filed an emergency request asking US federal court to either order his habeas writ granted, or an exception to the 30-day Congressional notice requirement met. Either would allow Abdul Latif to return home before President-elect Trump takes office.
Sold for a bounty to the US military in 2002, Abdul Latif is famous across the Guantanamo military base for drafting his own 2,000-word English-to-Arabic dictionary by hand. His Reprieve attorney Shelby Sullivan-Bennis describes him as "introspective, intelligent, and kind-hearted". Abdul Latif plans to live in his family home in Casablanca, where his brother has offered him employment at his successful water treatment company.
Morocco has already accepted 13 former Guantanamo detainees, and Abdul Latif would be supported by Reprieve's Life After Guantanamo program, which assists ex-prisoners after release to ensure their successful reintegration.
Reprieve attorney Shelby Sullivan-Bennis said: "Leaving Abdul Latif to languish at Guantanamo under Trump is as pointless as it is cruel. He has been cleared for release for over six months, and everyone involved in his case - including both governments - wants him to go home. We are begging the court to allow common sense and natural justice to prevail."
Reprieve is a UK-based human rights organization that uses the law to enforce the human rights of prisoners, from death row to Guantanamo Bay.
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Trump has picked Harmeet Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. She has stated that it must be "made unsafe" for hospitals to provide trans care, and frequently shares Libs of TikTok posts. She intends to target trans people in blue states. Subscribe to support my journalism.
[image or embed]
— Erin Reed (@erininthemorning.com) December 10, 2024 at 8:14 AM
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