Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi’s Family Requests His Release from Guantanamo Bay

The family of Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, a Guantanamo Bay detainee, is urging the US government not to transfer him to Iraq.

Family members of Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, who are currently in Kabul, state that he is in critical health condition, and for this reason, they ask the US to release him as soon as possible.

Previously, the United States had announced plans to transfer Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi from Guantanamo Bay to a prison in Iraq.

His wife, Sonia, said: “The situation in Iraq is well known; it is a war-torn country. Worse still, they plan to transfer him to an Iraqi prison, where the conditions are horrific. He may not survive more than three or four months.”

According to his family, Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi has undergone six surgeries and is currently paralyzed, using a wheelchair. They believe his transfer to Iraq would pose a serious threat to his life.

Sonia added: “Let him see his children in his final days. There is nothing left of him; please release him. Send him to a suitable country where he can receive treatment, or if that is not possible, send him to Afghanistan so we can see him in his last days.”

Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, whose real name is  Nashwan al-Tamir, was born in 1961 in Mosul, Iraq. 

According to his family, he acquired Afghan citizenship during the government of Burhanuddin Rabbani.

In 2006, while attempting to travel to Iraq with his wife and children, he was arrested in Turkey on charges of planning attacks against US coalition forces and was transferred to Guantanamo in 2007.

His wife stated: “We first went to Iran, then to Turkey, and planned to go to Iraq; but along the way, he was arrested and taken away without telling us why. Later, we were sent back to Afghanistan. He was with us on the plane, but when we landed, they told us he would be questioned and returned. However, we never saw him again.”

Guantanamo Bay is considered one of the most notorious US prisons, established in 2001 in Cuba.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the prison for detaining inmates without trial and subjecting them to torture during interrogations, calling for its closure.