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Illegal Guantánamo Naval Base
prison continues functioning 12 years after opening
Twelve years after the arrival of the first
prisoners to the illegal U.S. Naval Base in
Guantánamo, 154 remain detained there.
AFP
reports that the detainees are of several
nationalities, more than half from Yemen, with a
significant number from Afghanistan, Algeria and
Saudi Arabia.
Seventy-six prisoners have been approved for
transfer, almost all of them since 2010, meaning
they should have been left Guantánamo some time ago.
A
total of 45 are considered dangerous, and have not
been granted this approval for transfer, yet they
have not been tried, since little evidence against
them exists.
Eight prisoners were convicted by special military
courts, six of whom say they are guilty, but a
Federal Judge has overturned two convictions and
another two prisoners are appealing their sentences.
Four of the convicted were returned to their native
countries.
The
so-called detention center is one of the most
sinister legacies of the George W. Bush
administration and its continuing operation, one
Barack Obama’s most blatant unkept promises.
The
prison was opened after the September 11, 2001,
attacks in New York to hold suspected terrorists,
despite the lack of evidence against them.
Obama continues to mention the possibility of
closing the prison, although the issue is does not
appear to be a priority.
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