The United States has transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Oman, marking a significant reduction in the facility’s population. The men had been held without charge for over two decades as part of the US “war on terror.” The US Department of Defense acknowledged Oman’s support in the ongoing effort to responsibly decrease the detainee count and eventually close the notorious detention center.
Among those transferred was Sharqawi al-Hajj, a detainee who endured prolonged hunger strikes and hospitalizations to protest his 21 years of imprisonment, following two years of CIA torture. The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) expressed hope for his transition to freedom after more than 23 years in captivity.
As of now, only 15 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, a sharp decrease from nearly 800 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Conditions at the facility have drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations and the UN, with Amnesty International calling it a “glaring, longstanding stain” on US human rights.
The Biden administration had pledged to close Guantanamo during its campaign, but the facility remains open, and the US is working to find countries willing to take detainees never charged with crimes. The remaining detainees include those convicted or charged in connection with the USS Cole bombing, the September 11 attacks, and the 2002 Bali bombings.