16/03/2004

US frees 26 Guantanamo Bay detainees

Twenty-six Guantanamo Bay detainees from Afghanistan and Pakistan have been released, the US Defense Department has said.

The department said today that it had transferred 23 Afghan and three Pakistani detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for release.

The decision to transfer or release a detainee is based on many factors, including whether the detainee is of further intelligence value to the US and whether he is believed to pose a threat to the US, the department said.

A spokesperson said: "We make a determination about the detention and release of a detainee based on the best information and evidence we have at the time. The circumstances in which detainees are apprehended can be ambiguous, and many of them are highly skilled in concealing the truth. The process of evaluation and detention is not free of risk - at least one detainee has gone back to the fight."

Further releases are expected to made in the near future.

Currently, 119 detainees have been released and 12 others have been transferred for continued detention (four to the Saudi Arabian government, one to the Spanish government and seven to the Russian government).

As a result of today’s release, there are approximately 610 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

(gmcg)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

17 February 2006
UN report calls for Guantanamo shutdown
A report from the UN has called for the closure of the United States' detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
09 January 2004
Hope for repatriation of Guantanamo Bay detainees
British citizens being held in Guantanamo Bay's Camp Delta are set to be released by the US government, it has been reported today. According to the Times newspaper, preparations are being made for the release of the first of the camp's nine British detainees.
19 February 2004
Five UK detainees in Guantanamo Bay to be released
Five of the nine British nationals held by the US in Guantanamo Bay are set to be released, the BBC reported today. Last month, the Times newspaper reported that preparations were being made for the release of the first of the camp's nine British detainees.
30 November 2004
Guantanamo Bay 'torture', claims NY Times
According to a report in the New York Times today, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has criticised the US military for abusing detainees held at Guantanamo Bay with tactics that are "tantamount to torture".
05 March 2004
British nationals expected to return from Guantanamo Bay
Five of the nine British nationals held by the US in Guantanamo Bay are expected to return to the UK next week. Last month, The Times newspaper reported that preparations were being made for the release of the first of the camp's nine British detainees.