President
Barack Obama’s administration announced, on Thursday, the transfer of four
detainees from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Government of
the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The action is
against the advisory of President-elect Donald Trump.
The Department
of Defence gave the names of the detainees as Salem Ahmad Hadi Bin Kanad,
Muhammed Rajab Sadiq Abu Ghanim, Abdallah Yahya Yusif Al-Shibli, and Muhammad
Ali Abdallah Muhammad Bwazir.
“As directed
by the president’s Jan. 22, 2009, executive order, the interagency Guantanamo
Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of these cases.
“As a result
of those reviews, which examined a number of factors, including security
issues, Al-Shibli and Bwazir were unanimously approved for transfer by the six
departments and agencies comprising the task force.
“Periodic
Review Boards consisting of representatives from the Departments of Defense,
Homeland Security, Justice, and State; the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the
Office of the Director of National Intelligence determined continued law of war
detention of Kanad and Ghanim does not remain necessary to protect against a
continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.
“As a result
of those reviews, which examined a number of factors, including security
issues, Kanad and Ghanim were recommended for transfer by consensus of the six
departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board.”
The Department
said the Periodic Review Board process was established by the president’s March
7, 2011 Executive Order 13567.
It added that
the final date of Periodic Review Board final determination for Salem Ahmad
Hadi Bin Kanad was May 5, 2016, while that of Muhammed Rajab Sadiq Abu Ghanim
was July 6, 2016.
“The United
States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its
humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close
the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
“The United
States coordinated with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure
these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane
treatment measures.
“Today, 55
detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay,” the Department said.
Trump had on
Tuesday said there should be no more prisoner releases from the U.S. military
detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
“There should
be no further releases from Gitmo.
“These are
extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the
battlefield,’’ Trump said.
President
Barack Obama had sought to close the prison since he entered office in 2009,
but has been unable to carry out the plan in the face of opposition from
Congress.
Obama, in Nov.
2016, announced renewed plans for closing the facility in 2017, indicating he
would release more prisoners in the final weeks of his term in office, which
ends on Jan. 20.
NAN
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