The United States has released a prisoner from Guantánamo Bay and transferred him to Tunisia. Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi, a 59-year-old Tunisian, was held since the prison’s inception nearly 23 years ago, according to a Pentagon press release.
He was captured by Pakistani forces at the Afghan border in late 2001 and subsequently transferred to Guantánamo Bay. Like many others, Yazidi was never charged with a crime.
Details on the conditions and agreements surrounding his release have not been disclosed, but the Pentagon stated it followed a “thorough” process. Yazidi is the fourth detainee to be released from Guantánamo this month.
Two weeks ago, it was reported that a man held without charge since 2007 was sent to Kenya. Furthermore, the Pentagon noted two other detainees were transferred to Malaysia to complete a reintegration program before returning to society.
These two individuals had pleaded guilty to crimes as members of an Al-Qaida faction responsible for attacks in Bali (2002) and Jakarta (2003). Guantánamo Bay, established on a U.S. naval base in Cuba, was created after the September 11, 2001 attacks by Al-Qaida and the subsequent ‘war on terror.’ The prison, not formally on U.S. soil, allowed for the indefinite detention of suspected Islamist terrorists without trial.
Over the years, reports of torture and human rights abuses emerged. Human rights organizations have long advocated for its closure.
President Biden, upon taking office nearly four years ago, expressed a desire to close the prison, but political challenges and difficulties in relocating detainees have stalled these efforts. Currently, 26 detainees remain, with 14 eligible for release.
At the start of Biden’s term, Guantánamo held about forty prisoners. It remains unclear what incoming president Trump plans to do with the facility, as he previously signed an order to keep it open during his first term.
Source: NOS