Akin Pro Bono Efforts Aid in the Release of Unlawfully Detained American by the Taliban

(Washington, D.C.) – After nearly 900 days of unlawful detainment by the Taliban, Ryan Corbett, an American citizen, has returned to U.S. soil. In a statement announcing his release, Corbett’s family recognized the team who advocated for Corbett’s safe return including Akin attorneys Ryan Fayhee, Ryan Anderson, Blair Campion and John Babcock writing, “We would not be reunited with Ryan were it not for the counsel, support and countless hours you have invested in getting us to this day.” 

Washington D.C. based partner Ryan Fayhee led the Akin team in their pro bono efforts to support the Corbett family and raise awareness of the case.  Drawing on his background as a former DOJ national security prosecutor, his relationships with partners in the White House and the State Department, and his extensive experience advocating for the return of other wrongfully detained Americans, Fayhee volunteered his assistance to the Corbett family in 2023. 

Corbett’s long-awaited return to the U.S. was ultimately finalized during a series of negotiations unfolding over the course of the last days of the Biden administration, and in the first hours of the second Trump administration.

“What has happened in the midst of a Presidential transition was an act borne out of courage and necessity,” Fayhee said in a statement following the prisoner swap that sent Corbett home but left others detained. “Ryan is finally free after nearly 900 days as a victim of hostage diplomacy.  While his family can cherish this hard and long fought triumph, we must all acknowledge the continued suffering of families like Ryan’s.  American citizens have been left behind in Afghanistan and now it is President Trump’s charge to bring them home and to establish and enforce effective deterrents to hostage-taking as a means of foreign policy.”

Ryan’s work on behalf of the Corbett family has been noted by the AP and the Wall Street Journal along with the Independent. Ryan has previously represented pro bono the families of Paul Whelan who was wrongfully detained in Russia, Paul Rusesabagina, who was wrongfully detained by the Rwandan government and 13 Texas-based evangelical missionary organization members, who were wrongfully detained in Nicaragua. Fayhee’s work on these cases and his insights in the area of hostage-diplomacy have been featured by media outlets including The New York Times, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, CBS News, ABC News and others. 

Akin is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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