The United States has transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Oman after detaining them for more than two decades without charges as part of its post-9/11 counterterrorism operations. The US Department of Defense expressed gratitude to Oman and other partners for supporting efforts to reduce the detainee population and work towards closing the detention facility.
Among the released detainees was Sharqawi al-Hajj, who had endured repeated hunger strikes and hospitalizations in protest of his 21 years in detention, following two years of CIA detention and torture. His lawyer, Pardiss Kebriaei from the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), expressed hope for his future freedom after years of captivity.
With this transfer, only 15 detainees remain at Guantanamo, a significant drop from its peak of nearly 800 prisoners in the early 2000s. Most were held indefinitely without trial after being captured in multiple countries during the US-led “war on terror.”
Amnesty International welcomed the transfer but reiterated that Guantanamo Bay remains a “glaring, longstanding stain” on the US human rights record. Human rights groups have long condemned the facility for its inhumane conditions and denial of legal rights.
Recent weeks have seen several releases, including Tunisian Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi, Kenyan national Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, and two Malaysians who had been detained for 18 years without trial.
While President Joe Biden pledged in 2020 to close Guantanamo, the facility remains operational as his term nears its end. Officials are working to find suitable countries to accept detainees who were never charged with a crime. Of the 15 remaining, six have not been charged, and three of those have already been cleared for transfer. The remaining nine include two convicted individuals and seven facing charges linked to attacks like the USS Cole bombing and the September 11 attacks.