The US government on June 17 released (text, PDF) the names and nationalities of 46 men who are classified for “continued detention” at Guantánamo Bay detention center, ineligible for release, transfer or prosecution. The names were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the Miami Herald and the New York Times. In the 2010 Guantanamo Review Task Force (PDF) the US government explained continued detention:
48 detainees were unanimously approved for continued detention under the AUMF based on a finding that they pose a national security threat that could not be mitigated sufficiently at this time if they were to be transferred from U.S. custody. The Task Force concluded as to all of these detainees that prosecution is not feasible at this time in either federal court or the military commission system. At the Same time, the Task Force concluded that there is a lawful basis for continuing to detain these detainees under the AUMF.
Two Afghan detainees on the list, Awal Gul and Inayatullah, have died while being detained at Guantanamo.
Earlier this week President Barack Obama appointed Clifford Sloan to be the new envoy in charge of closing Guantánamo Bay. The Pentagon Prosecutor at Guantánamo announced that only seven more captives are expected to be charged at the facility.
From Jurist, June 19. Used with permission.
