Six Guantánamo Bay Detainees Now In Uruguay, But How Many More Until Barack Obama Finally Shuts It Down?
Early Sunday, the United States transferred the largest single number of inmates out of Guantánamo Bay since 2009. The Defense Department announced that a total of six prisoners have been relocated out of the Cuban prison to a new location in Uruguay.
These six detainees bring the total number of shuffled Guantánamo Bay prisoners this year to 13 — but only one of those was before November. According to the New York Times, the delayed release of Guantánamo detainees — especially in the face of the President Barack Obama’s promise to close the wartime prison — was one of the stressors that led to the resignation of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel a few weeks ago.
But a spike in the number of detainees being released still doesn’t mean that Guantánamo has really geared up for closure in 2015. There are still 69 prisoners who have not even been recommended for release because of charges they face before a military commission, or possible danger that may result from attempting to relocate them.
Paul Lewis, the Pentagon envoy on transfers, defended the process, stating that the Defense Department is simply assuring that the transfers are undergoing due scrutiny.
“The Defense Department is working diligently to transfer eligible detainees from Guantánamo. Security is always top-of-mind prior to any decision to transfer a detainee, and each detainee is closely reviewed by six departments before he is eligible for transfer.”
Among the most notable of the repositioned Guantánamo Bay detainees was Jihad Ahmed Mujstafa Diyab, a Syrian man who was seen as one of the primary faces in the court case related to Guantánamo Bay’s force-feeding practices. In October, a federal judge ruled that the United States government must release footage that they have of the force-feeding being carried out on Diyab and other inmates. The Obama administration has subsequently refused to produce the material, citing security concerns, reported the Independent.
Despite the lack of release of Guantánamo Bay’s force-feeding practices, several news organizations have released graphic recreations. Below, rapper Mos Def undergoes the procedure in a video for the Guardian.
[Caution: This video may be disturbing to some viewers.]
When the deal was first being passed around earlier this year, Lt. Col. J. Todd Breasseale, a Pentagon spokesman assured that Guantánamo Bay was well on its way to being shut down.
“We remain fully committed to implementing the president’s direction that we transfer detainees to the greatest extent possible, in a way that is consistent with the tenets of both our national security and our humane treatment policies, as we work toward shutting down the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay.”
[Image via Flickr]
