Two dozen Guantánamo detainees poised for release under Obama deals

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Two dozen Guantánamo detainees poised for release under Obama deals

White House has prepared to transfer 22 or 23 people to a handful
of different countries, reducing the camp’s 80-strong population
ahead of president’s exit

Spencer Ackerman in New York
Monday 23 May 2016 19.49 BST

The Obama administration has quietly seeded the diplomatic bed for its next push to transfer detainees out of Guantánamo Bay, the Guardian has learned, as Barack Obama aims to reduce the prison’s population before leaving office.

According to US officials, the administration has deals in place to send approximately two dozen longtime Guantánamo detainees to about half a dozen countries.

While it is unclear if the transfers will occur in one wave, as with the April transfer of nine detainees to Saudi Arabia, there is an expectation that the departure of 22 or 23 men will occur by the end of July. There are currently 80 men detained at Guantánamo, the lowest number since the US opened the wartime prison in 2002.

All the detainees for whom US diplomats have secured arrangements to leave Guantánamo have been officially approved for transfer, either by a 2010 internal review process or through quasi-parole hearings known as Periodic Review Boards.

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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/23/guantanamo-bay-detainees-release-plan-obama

[underpants]

1. I'd say leave one but screw it, empty it out

I know the law language is more complicated than this but Congress won't fund closing it down - ok leave it open but with no prisoners.