He has been cleared for transfer since 2010. Obama had argued that maintenance of an detention facility beyond the reach of US law undermined the country’s global leadership on human rights, but Trump overturned that policy in January 2018, saying that he expected new captives would be sent to the prison.Īmong these is Toffiq al-Bihani, who was tortured by the CIA before he was sent to Guantánamo in 2003. “Those who are cleared must be transferred immediately, and all other prisoners should either be charged and fairly tried or released, to allow this shameful institution to close permanently.” Opened in the weeks following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the prison, which once housed almost 250 inmates, has long been a source of controversy.Īlthough Barack Obama promised to close it while in office, reducing the number of inmates from hundreds to a few dozen, it has remained in operation since Donald Trump, his successor as US president, signed an executive order to keep it open.ĭaphne Eviatar, director of security with human rights for Amnesty International US, said: “Guantánamo continues to operate as a symbol of Islamophobia that embodies the fear-mongering and xenophobia that defines Trump’s presidency.
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