KABUL (SW) – The family members of 52-years-old Mohammad Rahim, the last Afghan prisoner in Guantanamo prison, have voiced criticism over his prolonged imprisonment and urged United States of America for his immediate release during a news program in Kabul.
They say that Mohammad Rahim was arrested in Lahore, Pakistan in 2007 without committing a crime, and after that, he was transferred to Guantanamo.
Mohammad Rahim’s mother, Safura, says that upon his detention, he was studying and working in Pakistan, and until now, no documents have been presented to prove his guilt. “We were going somewhere in the car when they stopped us; his wife and children were also with him, they begged a lot not to catch him; But they arrested him. We do not know what crime his wife and six children are now wandering for.” She added.
Meanwhile, 25-years-old Ismail, son of Mohammad Rahim, says that his father worked in the anti-narcotics department in Nangarhar during the first ruling period of the Islamic Emirate, and now, his father’s release has become a wish for him and his family. He adds: “before, we didn’t know what happened to my father, but Four years later, we learned from the International Committee of the Red Cross that my father was imprisoned in Guantanamo. After that, we kept in touch by sending letters. So far, no evidence has been found about my father.”
Similarly, Dawood, the other son of Mohammad Rahim, who is 19 years old and has not seen his father yet, asks the Islamic Emirate and the United States to release his father from prison as soon as possible. He says: “I never saw my father; everywhere we go, I see other people with his father, it’s very difficult for me.”
Authorities of the Islamic Emirate have confirmed the detention of Mohammad Rahim in the Guantanamo prison and say that he is the last Afghan prisoner in this prison.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, tells Salam Watandar that they are trying to create conditions for the release of Afghan citizens imprisoned without any crime in Guantanamo and other countries. He adds: “The authorities have already pursued this matter in discussions with the Americans and they have been repeatedly told that the Guantanamo prisoners, who were imprisoned without any documents, should be released; Of course, the legal process is a bit time-consuming.”
It should be mentioned that previously, a number of Afghan citizens who were imprisoned in Guantanamo prison, have been released by the United States.
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