By: Zaid al-Alaya’a
The U. S. authorities released six Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay last Friday and were delivered on December 22 to Yemeni authorities, said spokesman of the Yemeni embassy in Washington, Mohamed al-Basha Saturday.
Al-Basha explained that delivery of these detainees came as a result of the efforts exerted by Yemen in order to release all Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay and repatriate them to their homeland.
The political official in the Yemen Embassy in Washington DC, Khaled al-Katheri, said that the embassy is still working hard towards releasing the other Yemeni detainees via meeting the American officials at all levels and continued communication and coordination with the detainees’ lawyers.
There are nearly 100 Yemenis remaining in Guantanamo, the largest national group by far, and almost half the 239 detainees at the camp. More than a dozen Yemenis have been cleared for return, and the vast majority has never been charged. Six Yemenis, four Afghans and two Somali prisoners were transferred over the weekend, the US department of justice said in a statement on Sunday.
Yemen has renewed its request to the US administration to release all Yemeni detainees at the US-run Guantanamo and Bagram prisons and hand them over to Yemen.
For several months, a number of meetings have been held between senior US and Yemeni officials. The Deputy CIA Director, Stephen Kappes, to Sana’a.
A total of 16 Yemenis were released from the detention since 2004 including Salem Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver, and two other men who allegedly committed suicide.
“Yemen is ready to try whoever is involved in any terrorist acts, if there is evidence against them,” said an official from the defense ministry.
Officials also said that Yemen’s government is working on a rehabilitation center to reintegrate the men and help them to give up extremism and violence once they are back in Yemen.
The United States wants guarantees from Yemen that the men will not return to fight with al-Qaeda if they are released and allowed to return home.
Al-Basha explained that delivery of these detainees came as a result of the efforts exerted by Yemen in order to release all Yemeni detainees at Guantanamo Bay and repatriate them to their homeland.
The political official in the Yemen Embassy in Washington DC, Khaled al-Katheri, said that the embassy is still working hard towards releasing the other Yemeni detainees via meeting the American officials at all levels and continued communication and coordination with the detainees’ lawyers.
There are nearly 100 Yemenis remaining in Guantanamo, the largest national group by far, and almost half the 239 detainees at the camp. More than a dozen Yemenis have been cleared for return, and the vast majority has never been charged. Six Yemenis, four Afghans and two Somali prisoners were transferred over the weekend, the US department of justice said in a statement on Sunday.
Yemen has renewed its request to the US administration to release all Yemeni detainees at the US-run Guantanamo and Bagram prisons and hand them over to Yemen.
For several months, a number of meetings have been held between senior US and Yemeni officials. The Deputy CIA Director, Stephen Kappes, to Sana’a.
A total of 16 Yemenis were released from the detention since 2004 including Salem Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s former driver, and two other men who allegedly committed suicide.
“Yemen is ready to try whoever is involved in any terrorist acts, if there is evidence against them,” said an official from the defense ministry.
Officials also said that Yemen’s government is working on a rehabilitation center to reintegrate the men and help them to give up extremism and violence once they are back in Yemen.
The United States wants guarantees from Yemen that the men will not return to fight with al-Qaeda if they are released and allowed to return home.
