November 7, 2024, New York – In response to a military commission’s ruling that Defense Secretary Austin cannot rescind the plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other 9/11 defendants, the Center for Constitutional Rights released the following statement: 

The Biden administration should not appeal this ruling because, after more than twenty years of litigation and uncertainty for victims’ families, plea deals are the only responsible way to resolve the 9/11 case. The president must instead use this opportunity to transfer the remaining 19 uncharged men out of Guantánamo, 16 of whom have been approved for transfer by all relevant agencies based on a unanimous determination that they pose no security threat, including our clients Guled Hassan Duran and Sharqawi al Hajj. These two steps are essential to fulfilling Biden’s longstanding commitment to turn the page on the 9/11 era by closing this shameful site of torture and indefinite detention.

The Center for Constitutional Rights has led the effort to bring justice to Guantánamo for the past 22 years. We were the first organization to file a case on behalf of men detained there, the first civilians to go there, and the first to meet with a survivor of the CIA torture program. We organized hundreds of attorneys to ensure that anyone held at Guantánamo who wanted legal representation could have it. We have advocated for our clients in legal proceedings from Guantánamo to the U.S. Supreme Court to the International Criminal Court. The 19 uncharged men who remain include two of our clients, Guled Hassan Duran and Sharqawi Al Hajj.