The Honorable Donald Rumsfeld
Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20301

RE: Urgent need to ensure just treatment of detainees at U.S. facilities in Afghanistan

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld,

As a concerned American, I urge you to investigate the case of Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistan national currently detained at the Bagram air base in Afghanistan. He was scheduled to fly to Thailand for a business meeting on July 5, 2003, but never arrived at the meeting. For the next month, his family had no idea of his whereabouts.

Saifullah Paracha’s wife made inquiries with the Pakistani and Thai authorities in an attempt to find out what happened to her husband, but received no answers. The family eventually learned from NBC news that Saifullah Paracha and his son had been detained by U.S. authorities. Some time later, Mr. Paracha’s wife received a letter via the International Committee of the Red Cross explaining that Mr. Paracha was being held at the U.S. air base at Bagram, north of Kabul. It appears that he had been transferred into U.S. custody without reference to any legal safeguards.

Amnesty International reports that detainees at Bagram are denied access to lawyers, families, and courts. Former detainees have reported being subjected to prolonged kneeling or standing, hooding, 24-hour lighting, sleep deprivation, and being kept in painful or awkward positions. In light of the appalling allegations that continue to emerge concerning the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan, we fear for Saifullah Paracha’s safety and well being.

I ask for justice for Saifullah Paracha and all detainees held at Bagram air base and other US detention facilities in Afghanistan. I urge that they be released immediately unless they are promptly charged with recognizable criminal offenses. I also urge that they be brought to trial within a reasonable time in proceedings that fully comply with international standards.