Biden will try to close Guantanamo after robust review
President Joe Biden will seek to close the prison on the US base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process, resuming a project that began under Obama's administration, the White House said. WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki said it was the Biden administration's "intention" to close the detention facility, something Barack Obama pledged to do within a year shortly after he took office.
Many players need to be part of this discussion: Psaki
Psaki gave no timeline, telling reporters that the formal review would be robust and would require the participation of officials from the Department of Defense, the Justice Department, and other agencies who have not yet been appointed under the new administration. "There are many players from different agencies who need to be part of this policy discussion about the steps forward," she said.
Obama had faced opposition over his plans to close it
Obama vowed to close the detention center but ran into fierce political opposition over plans to prosecute and imprison men in the US and concerns that returning others to their homeland would pose a security risk. Biden, however, may have more leeway now that there are 40 prisoners left and Guantanamo draws much less public attention, though his announcement did draw some immediate criticism.
The detention center became a source of international criticism
The US opened the detention center in January 2002 to hold people suspected of ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban. It became a source of international criticism over the mistreatment of prisoners and the prolonged imprisonment of people without charge.
Biden had supported its closure as a candidate
The announcement of its closure was not unexpected as Biden had said as a candidate he supported closing it. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said so as well in written testimony for his Senate confirmation. He said that Guantanamo provided them the capability to conduct law of war detention in order to keep their enemies off the battlefield, but it's time for it to close.
Five prisoners were cleared for release; rest will be transferred
The 40 remaining prisoners at Guantanamo include five who were previously cleared for release through an intensive review process created under Obama as part of the effort to close the detention center and the remaining prisoners were to be transferred to facilities in the US.
Bush called it a propaganda tool for enemies
At its peak in 2003, the detention center at the Navy base on the southeast tip of Cuba held nearly 680 prisoners. Amid the international outrage, President George W Bush called it a propaganda tool for enemies and a distraction for allies and said he supported closing it but left it to his successor. The Bush administration, however, released 532 prisoners.
Republicans will fight it tooth and nail: Senator Cornyn
Under Bush, there were efforts to prosecute some prisoners for war crimes in tribunals known as military commissions. However, to some extent the opposition remains, thinks Senator John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas. "The Democrats' obsession with bringing terrorists into Americas' backyards is bizarre, misguided, and dangerous," he said after the announcement. Just like with President Obama, Republicans will fight it tooth and nail.
Under Obama's administration, 197 were repatriated or resettled
Obama argued that keeping the detention center was not just a bad policy but a waste of money, costing more than $445 million per year in 2016. Under his administration, 197 were repatriated or resettled in other countries.
Under Trump, only one prisoner was released
That left 41 under Donald Trump, who pledged to load it up with "bad dudes." Trump never did and approved a single release, a Saudi prisoner who had reached a plea deal in his war crimes case. Of those who remain, there are 10 men facing trial by military commission, including five charged with planning and providing logistical support to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Human rights groups welcomed Biden's announcement
Human rights groups welcomed Biden's announcement. "For almost two decades, the United States has denied justice to the hundreds of men the government has kept detained at Guantanamo Bay indefinitely, without charge or trial," said Daphne Eviatar, director of the Security with Human Rights Program at Amnesty International USA. Forty men remain there today. It is long past time to close it down.
