US to Release Young Gitmo Prisoner

The Obama administration has OKed the release of a young Afghan prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. The prisoner, Mohamed Jawad, was as young as twelve at the time of his capture seven years ago in Afghanistan. Last week, the Obama administration admitted it could no longer hold Jawad as an enemy combatant after a federal judge ruled his confession was obtained through torture. Jawad’s confession that he threw a grenade at a US soldier reportedly came after an interrogator threatened to kill him and his family. On Thursday, Justice Department lawyers said Jawad will be freed from Guantanamo Bay next month. His lawyers expect him to be sent back to Afghanistan.

Freed Gitmo Prisoners Found Advocacy, Support Group

Meanwhile, several former Guantanamo Bay prisoners have founded a group to help other freed prisoners deal with life after their release and lobby for those still jailed. The Guantanamo Justice Center says it hopes to help the hundreds of freed prisoners find work and obtain medical treatment to deal with their ordeal. It will also try to sue former Bush administration officials for authorizing torture. The group’s founders include the Al Jazeera journalist Sami al-Haj, who was jailed at Guantanamo for more than six years.

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