Friday, May 05, 2006

Detainees released

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
Transcript
May 04, 2006

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Detainee Release Announced

The Department of Defense announced today that it has released five detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Albania. This movement increases the number of detainees who have departed Guantanamo to 272.

All five of the subject detainees are ethnic Uighurs determined to be “No Longer Enemy Combatants” (NLEC) through a Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT), a review process held at Guantanamo during 2004-2005 to determine classification status of all detainees.

The United States has done the utmost to ensure that the Uighurs will be treated humanely upon release. Our key objective has been to resettle the Uighurs in an environment that will permit them to rebuild their lives. Albania will provide this opportunity.

With this release, DoD has transferred or released 272 detainees from Guantanamo – 192 for release and 80 transferred to other governments, including Afghanistan, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden and Uganda. Approximately 480 detainees remain at Guantanamo.

For any questions pertaining to U.S. government discussions with Albania, please refer to the State Department. For any questions pertaining to legal issues involving the five Uighurs released, please refer to the Department of Justice.


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posted by Bos'un at 5/05/2006 06:00:00 PM