RIYADH (Agencies)
Sixteen Saudis returned home on Thursday after the United States released them from a prison camp at Guantanamo Bay where terrorism suspects are held.
The Saudi state news agency SPA said Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz "expressed his relief and appreciation for the cooperation shown by the authorities in the United States, hoping this leads to the return of the remaining Saudis."
Their transfer brings to 93 the number of Saudi detainees so far handed over to the kingdom, while 37 remain incarcerated at the notorious prison camp in Cuba.
Saudi public anger over the treatment of Saudi detainees in Guantanamo Bay has been high in the kingdom, a key U.S. ally. Two Saudis were among three prisoners who hanged themselves at the naval base in June.
Many of the men held at Guantanamo were captured in Afghanistan in the U.S.-led war to oust the Taliban after the September 11 attacks. Many have been held for years, most of them without charge.
Washington has designated Guantanamo prisoners "enemy combatants", denying them the prisoner of war status that would guarantee them certain rights under international law.
About 800 detainees have passed through Guantanamo Bay since it opened, and several hundred are still being held there without charge. |
