The US Department of Justice announced Jan. 26 that an Uzbek Guantánamo Bay detainee has been transferred to Switzerland. The detainee’s identity will not be disclosed in order to facilitate his transition into life in Switzerland. The Swiss government agreed to accept the detainee for resettlement “on humanitarian grounds” after reassurances from the US that the man was not convicted of any crime and will not be a threat to public safety. The detainee was originally cleared for release in 2005, but could not return to Uzbekistan for fear of persecution.
The transfer to Switzerland is the latest in series of recent transfers that may demonstrate a renewed commitment from the Obama administration to close the military facility. Other detainees have recently been sent to Slovakia, Algeria, Afghanistan, Somaliland and Yemen. Earlier this month, however, the White House announced that further transfers of detainees to Yemen will be suspended due to security concerns. (Jurist, Jan. 27)
See our last post on the detainee scandal
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