The oldest prisoner, a Pakistani cleared for release in May but who remains at Guantanamo, is 74 and has heart disease and other ailments. Since Guantanamo opened, nine prisoners have died — two from natural causes, and seven in apparent suicides.
It was a makeshift project from the start. Following the invasion of Afghanistan, in reaction to the Sept. The administration of then President George W. A photo released by the Pentagon showed the first detainees, clad in orange jumpsuits, and kneeling in outdoor cages under the tropical sun.
As reports emerged of brutal treatment, Guantanamo became a source of international outrage, undercutting the sympathy and support the U. The U. Bush would ultimately let prisoners out.
Obama released Trump released a single detainee, a Saudi who went back to his homeland after striking a plea deal in the problem-plagued military commissions. Over the years, the population has steadily shrunk as the U. It has also at times been roiled by hunger strikes and rocked by clashes between prisoners and guards, sparked largely by frustration at being held indefinitely without charge under what the U.
Guantanamo is smaller and quieter now. Obama, who issued an executive order shortly after taking office directing that Guantanamo be closed within a year, ran into political opposition when his administration announced it would move the military trials to federal courts. Congress eventually added language to the annual Pentagon authorization bill prohibiting the government from moving Guantanamo prisoners into the United States for any reason.
It remains to be seen whether that will change, particularly after several former prisoners, released under both Bush and Obama, emerged as Taliban leaders in Afghanistan. There was broad public consensus in the US at the end of the presidency of George W Bush in that Guantanamo should be closed. President Barack Obama declared he would close the prison, but drew sharp criticism from Republicans and failed to fulfil his promises after the US Congress moved beginning in to impose limits on the transfer of detainees.
In his four years in office, Trump released only one person. A relatively small number of 39 men are still being held at Guantanamo. They include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the al-Qaeda attacks on the US on September 11, and four co-conspirators who face trial by military commissions.
Ten of the detainees do not face charges and have been approved by US agencies for release but are still being held. Among them is Saifullah Paracha , a Pakistani man who at age 74 is the oldest detainee at Guantanamo and who has never been charged with a crime. Ten men face still face military commission proceedings. One is nearing the end of a military sentence and is due to be released in February. Others are being held indefinitely without trial.
The Bush administration transferred about detainees out of Guantanamo by the end of , and the Obama administration transferred nearly out of the facility by the beginning of Among the challenges US authorities face in transferring detainees out of Guantanamo is obtaining agreements guaranteeing humane treatment from their home countries, or getting a third country to agree to resettle them and prevent their return to hostilities against the US.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Slovakia and Albania have been among the largest recipients of nationals from other countries.
In , five Taliban prisoners were transferred to Qatar in exchange for the release of American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who was held captive for five years in Afghanistan and Pakistan after deserting the US Army.
Four of those five are now members of the new Taliban government in Afghanistan. Two men have been released since Obama left office in January Both were returned to their home countries.
After more than 15 years at Guantanamo, Ahmed al-Darbi was returned to Saudi Arabia in to continue serving a prison sentence for a bomb attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen. The base is a hotly debated issue between the US and Cuba.
According to the US military, all remaining detainees are in camps five and six. Since January 11, , at least detainees from 48 countries have been held in Guantanamo Bay.
Only 16 were ever charged with criminal offences, according to Human Rights Watch. The youngest detainee was year-old Omar Khadr , a Canadian citizen who was released in after 13 years locked away.
In , the Canadian government paid Khadr a The oldest prisoner still being held is year-old Saifullah Paracha, a Pakistani national who has spent the last 17 years in detention without charge. Paracha could be returned home in the next several months according to his lawyer. Since , Guantanamo detainees have been sent home or to other countries through prisoner transfer agreements. There are 39 still held. Nine died in custody.
Of the 39 detainees remaining, 17 are being held indefinitely with no recommendation for transfer, 10 are eligible for transfer if security conditions are met, 10 have been charged by the US military, and two have been convicted.
0コメント