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By Rachel Dobkin
Weekend Reporter
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What's New
The Pentagon has transferred three Guantanamo Bay detainees, one from Kenya and two from Malaysia, back to their home countries.
Why It Matters
Former President George W. Bush set up a military tribunal and prison at the U.S. naval base off the coast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after the September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorist attack on the United States. At its peak, Guantanamo Bay detained hundreds of men, most Muslim, during America's "war on terror" following the September 11 attacks.
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There are now a total of 27 detainees at Guantanamo. Only two men at Guantanamo are serving sentences. Seven others facing charges have had their prosecution slowed by legal obstacles due to, in part, the reported torture of the men in their first years under CIA custody. Meanwhile, 15 other men who were never charged are still waiting to be released.
What To Know
Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, from Kenya, was sent back to his home country on Tuesday after spending 17 years at Guantanamo without being charged.
Meanwhile, two Malaysian detainees, Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, have been repatriated, the Pentagon said Wednesday, after pleading guilty to conspiracy and other charges in January.
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The two men worked for years with Encep Nurjaman, an Indonesian leader of Al-Qaeda affiliate Jemaah Islamiya who goes by Hambali, according to prosecutors. U.S. officials said the men helped Nurjaman escape capture after bombings on October 12, 2002, that killed 202 people at two night spots in Bali.
The Pentagon said the men provided testimony that prosecutors plan to use against Nurjaman, the alleged mastermind behind the Bali bombings who is currently detained in Guantanamo. Nurjaman is awaiting the resumption of pre-trial hearings early next year involving the bombings and other attacks.
What People Are Saying
Amnesty International, an international human rights organization, urged President Joe Biden to end the detention of men in Guantanamo who have never been charged before he leaves office next month.
If Biden does not release these men, "he will continue to bear responsibility for the abhorrent practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial by the U.S. government," the group said.
What Happens Next
The U.S. government is currently searching for suitable and stable countries willing to take the 15 remaining never-charged men. Many of these men are from Yemen, a country dominated by the Houthis. This Iranian-allied militant group began an ongoing civil war in 2014 when they took control of Yemen's capital Sanaa.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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