The Biden administration significantly reduced the prisoner population at the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba on Monday, transferring 11 detainees to Oman. Following this transfer, only 15 detainees remain at the facility, marking a significant step towards closing the center, which has been a priority for Biden’s administration as it nears the end of his term.
Guantanamo Bay, established on January 11, 2002, by President George W. Bush, was originally created to hold terrorism suspects and “illegal enemy combatants” during the U.S. “War on Terror” after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
At its peak in 2003, the facility housed approximately 680 prisoners, according to Pentagon data.
With the transfer of the 11 detainees, all from Yemen, Guantanamo now has fewer prisoners than when it first opened, initially receiving detainees from Afghanistan. “The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the U.S. military said in a statement.
The 11 men transferred were identified as: Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, Moath Hamza Ahmed al-Alwi, Khalid Ahmed Qassim, Suhayl Abdul Anam al Sharabi, Hani Saleh Rashid Abdullah, Tawfiq Nasir Awad Al-Bihani, Omar Mohammed Ali al-Rammah, Sanad Ali Yislam Al Kazimi, Hassan Muhammad Ali Bib Attash, Sharqawi Abdu Ali Al Hajj, and Abd Al-Salam Al-Hilah.
Of the remaining 15 detainees, three are eligible for transfer, and an equal number are subject to a periodic review board to evaluate their cases. The others have been charged or convicted of war crimes.
The facility has long faced criticism from human rights organizations and legal advocates over potential violations of international human rights laws and the conditions within the camp.
