USA, August 16, 2016 – The Department of Defense on Sunday announced transfer of 15 detainees from the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay to the government of the United Arab Emirates(UAE) as part of effort to close the facility. President had promised to shot the facility in his electioneering campaign.
The affected detainees are Abd al-Muhsin Abd al-Rab Salih al-Busi, Abd al-Rahman Sulayman, Mohammed Nasir Yahi Khussrof Kazaz, Abdul Muhammad Ahmad Nassar al-Muhajari, Muhammad Ahmad Said al-Adahi, Abdel Qadir al-Mudafari, Mahmud Abd Al Aziz al-Mujahid, Saeed Ahmed Mohammed Abdullah Sarem Jarabh, Mohammed Kamin, Zahar Omar Hamis bin Hamdoun, Hamid al-Razak (aka Haji Hamidullah), Majid Mahmud Abdu Ahmed, Ayub Murshid Ali Salih, Obaidullah, and Bashir Nasir Ali al-Marwalah.
The department noted that the decision to transfer the prisoners is based on direction by President Barak Obama in Jan. 22, 2009, executive order after the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of the cases.
“As a result of those reviews, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, 6 of the 15: al-Busi, Sulayman, Kazaz, al-Muhajari, al-Adahi, and al-Mudafari were unanimously approved for transfer by the six departments and agencies comprising the task force”, the statement said, adding that 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 9 of the 15 namely al-Mujahid, Jarabh, Kamin, bin Hamdoun, al-Razak (aka Haji Hamidullah), Ahmed, Salih, Obaidullah, and al-Marwalah and it 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, al-Mujahid, Jarabh, Kamin, bin Hamdoun, al-Razak (aka Haji Hamidullah), Ahmed, Salih, Obaidullah, and al-Marwalah were recommended for transfer by consensus of the six departments and agencies comprising the Periodic Review Board”, the department noted.
The Periodic Review Board process was established by the president’s March 7, 2011 Executive Order 13567. “The United States is grateful to the Government of the United Arab Emirates 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 United Arab Emirates to ensure these transfers took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures”, the statement said, adding that that 61 detainees still remain at Guantanamo Bay detention centre.
