Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo Detainee Mohammed Jawad

ACLU Client To Be Returned Home To Afghanistan

WASHINGTON, July 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A federal judge today ordered
the government to release Guantanamo detainee and American Civil Liberties
Union client Mohammed Jawad, who has been illegally detained by the U.S. for
almost seven years. The Afghan government has indicated that it is prepared to
receive Jawad immediately and unconditionally. U.S. District Judge Ellen
Huvelle gave the Justice Department until August 21 to release Jawad from
Guantanamo and transfer him to the custody of the Afghan government.

Judge Huvelle also ordered the Justice Department to inform Congress of its
plans for returning Jawad to Afghanistan by August 6, and to produce a report
on the status of his repatriation by August 24.

The following can be attributed to Jonathan Hafetz, staff attorney with the
ACLU National Security Project and one of Jawad's lawyers in his habeas corpus
case:

"Judge Huvelle made clear that Mr. Jawad has been illegally detained and the
government has no credible evidence to continue holding him. We are pleased
that the Justice Department has expressed a commitment to getting him home so
that this nightmare of abuse and injustice can finally come to an end."

Judge Huvelle's order is available online at:
www.aclu.org/safefree/detention/40543lgl20090730.html

More information about Jawad's case is available at: www.aclu.org/jawad

SOURCE American Civil Liberties Union

Rachel Myers of ACLU, +1-646-206-8643 or +1-212-549-2666; media@aclu.org