Gaillard T. Hunt papers on Paracha v. Trump, 2004-2023

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Summary

Creator:
Hunt, Gaillard T., 1939- and Human Rights Archive (Duke University)
Abstract:
The Gaillard T. Hunt papers on Paracha v. Trump focus on the legal case of Saifullah Paracha, who was detained at the American naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba between 2004-2022. The collection includes various legal documents, particularly habeas corpus petitions, bills of attainder, and other assorted materials. Also included are four DVD-Rs related to Hunt's litigation and the bill of attainder argument and typed chronological narrative from Hunt's perspective. Topics include Hunt's efforts to obtain Paracha's release from Guantánamo Bay, Paracha's health, outreach to officials about the case, and efforts to use the bill of attainder argument in the United States District Court and Supreme Court. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive.
Extent:
1 Linear Foot
0.5 Gigabytes (943 files)
Language:
Materials in English.
Collection ID:
RL.13105

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains primarily legal documents including habeas corpus petitions, motions, bills of attainders, and legal briefs, along with correspondence, clippings, drafts, and other assorted materials related detailing Gaillard T. Hunt's efforts to release Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistani businessman detained at Guantánamo Bay from 2004-2022 for allegedly providing support to al Qaeda members but not charged with any crime. Topics include efforts to address Paracha's medical issues, access to printed materials, Paracha's release, outreach to officials about the case, and Hunt's efforts to use the bill of attainder argument in the United States District Court and the United States Supreme Court. Also, the collection has four DVD-Rs on Hunt's litigation and the bill of attainder argument as well as a typed chronological narrative of the case from Hunt's perspective. Collection spans from 2004-2023.

Biographical / historical:

Gaillard T. Hunt is a lawyer based in the Washington D.C area. In 1965, Hunt received his law degree from Columbia Law School. Throughout his career, Hunt has focused on cases involving the federal government on a variety of topics including conscientious objectors during the Vietnam era, H-1B visas, and Second Amendment challenges.

In the summer of 2004, after leaving a short-term legal case and the decision for Rasul v. Bush , 542 U.S. 466, 124 S. Ct. 2686, 159 L. Ed. 2d 548 involving habeas corpus petitions for those held at the American naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Hunt reached out to organizations working with detainees at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base seeking to get involved in cases focused on Guantánamo Bay.

By October 2004, Hunt was put into contact with Uzair Paracha's appointed defense attorney. Uzair Paracha had been charged with providing support to al Qaeda and claimed that his father, Saifullah Paracha, had given help to Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Ahmad Al-Baluchi, and Majid Khan, who were connected with al Qaeda and the September 11, 2001 attacks. He also mentioned that his father had met Osama bin Laden. Hunt then found it important to gather information that Saifullah Paracha was a pro-American businessman and would not have knowingly helped terrorists to argue for Paracha's release, nor was Saifullah Paracha charged directly with any crime. Hunt would work on Saifullah Paracha's case from 2004-2010 and from 2014-until Paracha's release in 2022.

Saifullah Paracha was one of the detainees in the Guantánamo Bay detention center. Born in Pakistan, Paracha moved to the United States in the 1970s and obtained a green card in 1980 while living in New York with his wife and children. In 1986, he returned to Pakistan and built a career in several businesses including travel agencies, a real estate business, and a media production firm. In early July 2003, Paracha arrived in Bangkok, Thailand for a business trip, but was arrested and detained by U.S. authorities. Paracha was first taken to Bagram, Afghanistan, then transferred to the Guantánamo Bay in 2004, although this information was not officially confirmed by the U.S. government until December 2004.

While imprisoned, Paracha was tortured, suffered from multiple health ailments but was denied proper treatment, held in solitary confinement, and was prevented from accessing printed materials. Hunt focused his work to address Paracha's health, well-being, and release from Guantánamo Bay. Hunt submitted various petitions and bills of attainder to the U.S. District Court and U.S. Supreme Court during several U.S. presidencies between 2004-2022.

Paracha was cleared for release on May 12, 2021 by the Periodic Review Board in the United States. However, he was not released and able to return to Pakistan until the end of October 2022.

Sources: Amnesty International website, https://www.amnesty.org/en/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/amr511562007en.pdf%5D (accessed November 27, 2024), Reprieve organization website, https://reprieve.org/uk/client/saifullah-paracha/ (accessed November 27, 2004), and Gaillard T. Hunt's website, https://www.gthunt.com/huntbio.htm (accessed November 12, 2024).

Acquisition information:
The Gaillard T. Hunt papers on Paracha v. Trump were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift in 2024.
Processing information:

Processed by Tere Elizalde, November 2024

Accessions described in this collection guide: 2024-0113

Arrangement:

Materials are arranged in order as originally received by the donor.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

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Restrictions:

Access note. Some materials in this collection are electronic records that require special equipment. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the Rubenstein Library's Citations, Permissions, and Copyright guide.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Gaillard T. Hunt papers on Paracha v. Trump , David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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