August 29, 2006
Murat Kurnaz Released
Murat Kurnaz was released from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on August 24, at the request of German government, Washington Post reported on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Kurnaz was detained in October 2001 and spent more than four years in Guantanamo. Initially, Gerhard Schroeder's government had refused to intercede on Kurnaz's behalf because he did not have German citizenship. But in January Chancellor Schroeder's successor, Angela Merkel, began to negotiate for Kurnaz's release with President Bush. By early 2002, U.S. military intelligence and German law enforcement authorities had concluded there was no information linking Kurnaz to al-Qaeda or terrorist activities. In January 2005, U.S. District Judge Joyce Hens Green ruled that his detention was illegal. Despite these findings, Kurnaz was tortured during his detention and kept shackled and blindfolded until his flight landed in Germany. He will not be detained, investigated, or charged in Germany and is now a free man.