The United States has transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to Oman. This development marks a historic low in the prison’s population, leaving only 15 detainees at the controversial facility in Cuba.
The Yemeni detainees had been held for over two decades without any formal charges or trials. Among them were individuals like Moath al-Alwi, known for crafting intricate model boats from discarded prison material, and Shaqawi al-Hajj, who protested his prolonged detention through repeated hunger strikes.
Oman’s role in accepting the detainees has been pivotal, as Yemen’s ongoing civil war rendered repatriation to their homeland unfeasible. The US Department of Defence expressed gratitude to Oman for facilitating the transfer, describing it as part of efforts to responsibly reduce Guantanamo’s detainee population.
Guantanamo Bay, established in 2002 under President George W. Bush, has long been a symbol of human rights abuse, with detainees subjected to prolonged detentions without trial and allegations of mistreatment. While former President Barack Obama advocated for its closure, opposition in Congress and subsequent policy shifts under President Donald Trump kept the prison operational.
President Joe Biden has worked to further reduce the detainee count, but the facility’s complete closure remains uncertain. The latest transfer reflects a step towards addressing what many human rights advocates view as a dark chapter in US history.
For the Muslim world, Guantanamo serves as a painful reminder of post-9/11 policies that led to the targeting of Muslims and Muslim nations under the guise of “war on terror”.
