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June 23, 2009

Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo Prisoner Once Held by Al-Qaeda
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A federal judge has ordered the release of another prisoner held at
Guantanamo, thirty-year-old Syrian national Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak Al
Janko. In the year 2000, Al Janko was tortured by al-Qaeda, who accused
him of being a Western spy, and he was imprisoned by the Taliban for
eighteen months. He was then captured by the United States in 2002 and
spent the next seven years in Guantanamo. On Monday, District Court
Judge Richard Leon rejected the government’s position that Al Janko had
once been a part of al-Qaeda, saying it “defies common sense.” Janko’s
lawyers say it is unlikely he will be sent back to his native Syria, and
the judge ordered the Obama administration to find a country that would
accept Al Janko. Al Janko’s attorney Stephen Sady said, "This is a
tragedy. The guy was horribly tortured and then tries to report his
human rights violation to the US forces…Instead, he gets mistaken for
being a terrorist.”



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