Guantanamo returnee Nazir wants to live quiet life with family, says lawyer


PETALING JAYA: Mohammed Nazir Lep, who was returned to Malaysia after being detained at Guantanamo Bay since 2006, plans to live a quiet life with his family.

The New York Times reported his lawyer, Brian Bouffard, as saying that his client had been punished many times over for his long-ago involvement with the wrong people.

"...and we hope one day that his torturers and their enablers might face accountability for the evil they have done in our name," he was quoted as saying.

In a statement on Wednesday (Dec 18), Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had confirmed the return of Mohammed Farik Amin and Mohammed Nazir.

Both men were held for years in the secretive overseas network of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

In 2006, they were transferred to Guantanamo Bay to face trial in a special security court which was set up by former United States president George W. Bush after the Sept 11, 2001 attack.

Also charged were Encep Nurjaman, who is also known as Hambali, from Indonesia.

In their plea statement, both Malaysians agreed to testify against Hambali, the former leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah movement.

According to the New York Times, the men were returned to the custody of the Malaysian government, and supervision of its de-radicalisation program, through a diplomatic arrangement that was reached as part of their guilty pleas in January.

Meanwhile, Christine Funk, a lawyer for Mohammed Farik said he “looks forward to the opportunity to continue living a life of purpose, taking care of his parents and pursuing a career that best reflects his skills and talents.”

Saifuddin had said in his statement that the government had constructed a reintegration program that is comprehensive for the two individuals, including support services, welfare and medical screenings.

"The ministry also expressed their appreciation to all government agencies that were involved in the successful handing off process of the two Malaysians," he said.

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