WASHINGTON (Al Arabiya)
Three detainees held at the American military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been sent to Ireland and Yemen, the U.S. Justice Department said on Saturday, the latest transfers as President Barack Obama tries to close the facility by January.
Yemeni Alla Ali Bin Ali Ahmed was sent to his home country, while two other detainees were sent to Ireland, the U.S. government said, adding it would not identify the two at the request of the Irish government.
A sketch of the arraignment of several Guantanamo terrorism suspects In May U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler granted Ahmed, held since 2002 when he was a teenager, the right of habeas corpus and condemned the government’s “mosaic” of intelligence, which provided no solid evidence.
There are still 223 detainees being held, many without trial and some for more than seven years, at the controversial prison at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. Some are expected to be transferred abroad while others could face charges in U.S. military tribunals or in American courtrooms.
Many detainees have challenged their detention at Guantanamo in a U.S. federal court. So far, 30 have won legal battles ordering their release while seven have been denied. |
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Gitmo closing Obama has pledged to close by mid-January 2010 the facility set up by the Bush administration in 2002 to hold foreign terrorism suspects captured after U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan.
Recent reports have suggested the administration may not meet the deadline because of legal, political and diplomatic issues involving the detainees. |
" Yemen will continue its diplomatic dialogue with the United States government to repatriate the remaining Yemeni detainees " Yemen embassy in Washington Yemen's embassy in Washington said it welcomed the transfer of the Yemeni detainee, who it said had been held for seven years after he was detained in Pakistan in March 2002.
"Yemen will continue its diplomatic dialogue with the United States government to repatriate the remaining Yemeni detainees," the embassy said in a statement.
Ireland said previously it was looking at taking in two Uzbek prisoners. The United States has worried about sending some of the prisoners back to their home countries where they might be persecuted.
Earlier this week, the Obama administration said it had struck a deal with the tiny island nation of Palau to take in as many as 12 Chinese Uighur detainees, and that so far six had agreed to go. Another four Uighurs have been moved to Bermuda.
(With Reuters) |
