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Judge orders Gitmo detainee's release

WASHINGTON, June 23 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Washington ordered the release of a Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison detainee, saying the man's continued detention was illogical.

In a 13-page opinion read from the bench, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon ordered the government to undertake diplomatic efforts to find a host country for Abdul Rahim Abdul Razak al-Janko, 30, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

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Al-Janko was tortured by al-Qaida and imprisoned by Taliban on suspicions of being a U.S. spy, then picked up by American authorities and sent to the island military prison on suspicion that he was a member of the two terrorist organizations, the Post said.

U.S. officials had argued for his detention, alleging that Janko went to Afghanistan in 2000 to join the Taliban or al-Qaida. He reportedly spent about five days at an al-Qaida guesthouse and then about three weeks at an al-Qaida training camp.

Leon said the government's rationale for its continued detention of Janko "defies common logic."

"Five days at a guesthouse in Kabul combined with 18 days at a training camp does not add up to a longstanding bond of brotherhood," Leon wrote.

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Janko's attorney, Stephen Sady, called the situation "a tragedy."

"The guy was horribly tortured and then tries to report his human rights violation to the U.S. forces. He is a brave person and wants to tell his story. Instead, he gets mistaken for being a terrorist," Sady said. "This is a nightmare for an innocent man being accused of all of these things."

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