Uzair Paracha

Uzair Paracha (born January 7, 1980) is a Pakistani citizen previously convicted of providing material support to al-Qaeda by a court in New York City in 2005. He received a 30-year prison sentence

Early life He is the son of Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistan citizen who was held by the United States in Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. He was initially held as a material witness in the investigation against al-Qaeda after the September 11 attacks. He was later charged with helping alleged al-Qaeda operative Majid Khan (Guantanamo Bay detainee 10020) obtain legal status in U.S. fraudulently, In November 2005, he was convicted of helping Khan. He was serving his sentence at FCI Terre Haute until his conviction was deemed void.

Voided conviction Over 15 years after his arrest, Uzair's conviction was deemed void on July 3, 2018 by Judge Sidney H. Stein based on newly discovered statements made by Ammar al-Baluchi, Majid Khan, and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, bringing his involvement and intentions into question. Stein, who oversaw Paracha’s trial and imposed his sentence, called it a “manifest injustice” to let the conviction stand and granted Paracha’s request, made in November 2008, for a new trial.

He was freed on March 13, 2020 and willingly repatriated to Pakistan, giving up his resident status.