15 Prisoners from Guantanamo Bay prison has been shifted to UAE. The prisoners include 12 Yemeni nationals and 3 Afghans. With the departure of these 15 prisoners, Guantanamo prison now has 61 prisoners. It is still unclear under what terms and conditions UAE government has accepted the prisoners and what would be the fate of the prisoners in UAE. Earlier Vice News had done an excellent coverage on five prisoners who were shifted to Kazakhstan. The prisoners in Kazakhstan face the house arrest and constant psychological harassment, effectively leading to slow death.
“The United States is grateful to the government of the United Arab Emirates for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close Guantanamo” said Pentagon in a press release.
“It is vital he keep the momentum. If President Obama fails to close Guantánamo, the next administration could fill it with new detainees and it could become permanent. It would be an extremely dangerous legacy of allowing people to be detained without charge, in an endless global war, practically until they die” said Amnesty International USA’s Security and Human Rights Program Director Naureen Shah.
One of the transferred detainees is Obaidullah, an Afghan man whose experiences were documented in the Amnesty International report, “I am fallen into darkness.” Obaidullah has been detained without trial for 14 years, and has never touched or held his daughter, who was born two days before he was seized from his home in 2002. Obaidullah alleges that he was tortured and subjected to other cruel treatment, including beatings and threats of sexual abuse, while in U.S. military custody.
“Many of the remaining detainees have been held without charge for a decade or more. Each detainee must either be charged and face trial in federal court, or be released to countries that will respect their human rights. As long as Guantánamo remains open, the US risks making this ugly stain on its human rights record permanent.”
(Featured Image Credit: Reuters).
