The lawyers of Ryan Corbett, an American who has been imprisoned Uncharged by the Taliban in Afghanistan since August 2022, he submitted urgent petitions to the United Nations on Thursday in the latest effort for his release.
The petitions include recently released testimonies from two non-U.S. detainees who described Corbett’s deteriorating physical and mental condition as well as descriptions of torture and other cruel and degrading treatment by the Taliban.
Filed with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the petitions said people who were imprisoned with Corbett expressed concern that the 40-year-old father of three , could die soon, due to medical problems, abuse or self-harm.
The former detainees described threats of physical violence by the Taliban against Corbett, who said they were forced to listen to the torture of other prisoners in a cell where blood was visible on the walls.
The people also said Corbett was severely malnourished and suffered from fainting spells and fainting spells, was rarely allowed to shower or go to the bathroom, and was held in a basement cell with almost no sunlight or exercise.
Courtesy of the Corbett family)
Suhail Saheen, head of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar, told CBS News he had no information about the torture allegations. “According to my information, he has access to doctors and telephone conversations with his family on a regular basis. Torture is illegal and prohibited in the Islamic Emirates,” he said.
If UN forces accept the requests, they can open investigations and issue non-binding legal opinions declaring that an individual is unjustly detained and calling for their release.
“Today’s submissions are an urgent response to the horrific conditions in which Ryan has been suffering for more than 20 months. It would be difficult to imagine conditions that would pose a greater immediate threat to the life of a detainee,” said Kate Gibson, one of The family’s lawyers, in a statement.
Anna Corbett, Ryan’s wife, said in a statement that her husband’s situation was “rapidly worsening” and that she and their children were “concerned that the president is not focusing on bringing him home before it is too late.” .
“I have barely received any communication from the White House, although I continue to request meetings with President Biden and (national security adviser) Jake Sullivan. These requests remain unanswered,” he said, noting that he recently met with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt. Campbell.
“The United States is concerned about the well-being of Americans detained in Afghanistan and is actively working for their release,” a State Department spokesperson told CBS News.
The White House and the U.S. Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In previous interviews With CBS News’ Margaret Brennan, Anna said she had only had five phone calls with Ryan in the past 20 months. In what she called a “disturbing” call in March, Anna told Ryan that he was “displaying a significantly deteriorated mental state” and that she was beginning to believe what his captors told her: that his country had forgotten.
Anna Corbett attends the president’s State of the Union address in March to raise awareness about her husband’s case. Earlier this month, the Senate approved a resolution calling for the release of Ryan Corbett before he turns 41.
Ahmad Mukhtar contributed to this report.