Sons of Afghan Guantanamo Detainee Say Father Held Without Trial for 19 Years

The sons of Mohammad Rahim, an Afghan national held at Guantanamo Bay, say he has been detained without trial or charges for nearly 19 years.

In an interview, the eldest son Mohammad Ibrahim said his father was arrested without committing any crime in a joint operation by Pakistan and the United States in the city of Lahore, in front of his family. He rejected any connection between his father and the former leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, saying the United States has never provided valid evidence.

"They have kept father without any proof and there has been no trial; in these 20 years that they have kept my father, if they had evidence they would have shown it to the world," Mohammad Ibrahim said.

He added that after the family's return from Pakistan to Afghanistan, restrictions on contacting his father have increased and they are now allowed to speak with him only once every seven months.

The younger son Dawood, who was six months old at the time of his father's arrest, spoke of the regret over his father's absence from his life. He said the family was present at the airport during the recent release of American prisoner Denis Coyle and hoped that his father would also return home.

James Connell, Mohammad Rahim's lawyer, has called for his release and emphasized that his client has been held without any charges. Five months ago, Mohammad Rahim wrote in a letter to his elderly mother about his wish to return home and embrace his family.