Attorneys for American imprisoned by Taliban file urgent petitions with U.N.
Attorneys for Ryan Corbett, an American who has been imprisoned without charge by the Taliban in Afghanistan since August 2022, filed urgent petitions on Thursday with the United Nations in the latest push for his release.
The petitions include testimonies from two recently released, non-American detainees who described Corbett’s deteriorating mental and physical condition as well as descriptions of torture and other cruel and degrading treatment by the Taliban.
Filed before the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture and the U.N. Working Group for Arbitrary Detention, the petitions said the individuals who were jailed with Corbett expressed concerns that the 40-year-old father of three could die soon, due to medical problems, maltreatment or self-harm.
interviews with CBS News’ Margaret Brennan, Anna said she had only had 5 phone calls with Ryan in the past 20 months. In what she called a “disturbing” call in March, Anna said Ryan “exhibited a significantly deteriorated mental state,” and that he was starting to believe what he was told by his captors — that he was forgotten by his country.
Anna Corbett attended the president’s State of the Union address in March to raise awareness of her husband’s case. Earlier this month, the Senate passed a resolution calling for Ryan Corbett’s release before his 41st birthday.
Ahmad Mukhtar contributed to this report.
Source: cbsnews.com