Guantanamo’s oldest inmate released

Guantanamo’s oldest inmate released. After 17 years in prison, a 75-year-old Pakistani who was never charged with a crime was released.

The oldest prisoner at Guantanamo Bay was ordered released on Saturday and sent back to Pakistan by the US.

The prisoner had been incarcerated for nearly 20 years after being held on suspicion of having ties to Al-Qaeda.

He never went to court and was never officially charged.

After more than 17 years in US captivity, 75-year-old Pakistani businessman Saifullah Paracha was released.

According to US investigators, Paracha assisted two individuals connected to Al-Qaeda in a financial transaction as an Al-Qaeda "facilitator."

The Pakistani native, however, has asserted time and time again that he was not involved in aiding terrorism and that he was unaware that they were members of Al-Qaeda.

The US Department of Defense announced in a statement that the detention of Paracha is "no longer necessary to protect against a continuing serious danger to the security of the United States," without going into further detail regarding the decision's justification.

According to Pakistan's Foreign Ministry, the repatriation was made possible by an extensive inter-agency process.

The statement continued: "We are happy that a Pakistani national jailed abroad has been reunited with his family."

In 2003, FBI agents detained Paracha in Thailand.

He was then taken to a US military jail in Bagram, Afghanistan, where, according to his attorneys, he suffered a heart attack.

In September 2004, he was moved to the infamous prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he was detained until his release.

The prisoner, who has diabetes, coronary artery disease, and high blood pressure, was informed that his release had been approved in May of last year.

Around 800 prisoners have reportedly passed through Guantanamo since 2002, and many of them reportedly underwent torture and other cruel treatment there, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

There are currently 35 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, 20 of whom are transferable, and three of whom are eligible for review, according to the US Department of Defense.

Following the 9/11 attacks, US President George W. Bush established the detention center to house foreign terrorists apprehended abroad.

Despite the promises of numerous US administrations to close it down, this is mostly because of political and legal obstacles.

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