US Transfers Three Guantanamo Detainees to Malaysia, Kenya

Published DEC 18 2024

Story

Above: The prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Image credit: Elise Swain/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

The Pentagon announced this week it has transferred three Guantanamo Bay detainees to their home countries, with two returning to Malaysia and one to Kenya.
CNN
The Associated Press
The Malaysian detainees, Mohammed Farik bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep, previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the 2002 Bali bombings. The two agreed to testify against alleged mastermind Encep Nurjaman and will serve the remainder of their five-year sentences in Malaysia.
The Associated Press
ABC News
Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, the Kenyan detainee, was released after 17 years without charge. A review board determined that his detention was no longer necessary for national security.
Newsweek
FOX News
The transfers reduce Guantanamo's population to 27 detainees, with only two currently serving sentences and 15 others eligible for transfer after never being charged.
ABC News
The Guantanamo facility, established after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the US, once held hundreds of detainees and has become a symbol of post-9/11 US detention policies.
CNN
The US has faced challenges in relocating the remaining detainees, particularly those from Yemen, due to ongoing civil conflict and the need to find suitable host countries.
Newsweek

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

These transfers demonstrate significant progress in the Biden administration's efforts to responsibly reduce the detainee population and eventually close the Guantanamo facility while ensuring justice through legal proceedings and cooperation with allied nations.

The Washington Post

The New York Times

Establishment-critical narrative

These transfers don't change the fact that the continued detention of individuals without charges for extended periods is an ongoing human rights violation. Guantanamo represents US abuses and its system of indefinite detention undermines fundamental legal principles.

Al Jazeera