Detainee Transfer Announced

The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of two detainees from the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay to the Governments of Spain and Latvia.

As directed by the President’s January 22, 2009 executive order, the interagency Guantanamo Review Task Force conducted a comprehensive review of these cases. As a result of that review, which examined a number of factors, including security issues, the detainees were approved for transfer by unanimous consent among all the agencies involved in the task force. In accordance with congressionally mandated reporting requirements, the administration informed Congress of its intent to transfer these individuals at least 15 days before their transfer.

The identities of the individuals are being withheld for privacy reasons at the request of the receiving governments. The United States is grateful to the governments of Spain and Latvia for their willingness to support U.S. efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the governments of Spain and Latvia to ensure the transfers took place under appropriate security measures and will remain in close consultation with both governments regarding these individuals.

Since 2002, more than 600 detainees have departed Guantanamo Bay for other destinations, including Albania, Algeria, Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Bermuda, Chad, Denmark, Egypt, Georgia, France, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Palau, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Somalia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom and Yemen.

The Guantánamo Review Task Force was created by Executive Order no. 13492 issued by President Barack Obama on January 22, 2009, his second full day in office. United States Attorney General Eric Holder announced Matthew G. Olsen as Executive Director of the task force on February 20, 2009. The task force was charged with determining which Guantánamo detainees can be transferred or released, which can be prosecuted for crimes they may have committed, and if neither of those are possible, recommending other lawful means for disposition of the detainees.[1]

The task force was an inter-agency task force, with the Department of Justice coordinating the efforts of officials from the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Final Report was issued January 22, 2010,[2] but not publicly released until May 28, 2010. “The administration sat on the report in the wake of the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day because there was little public or congressional appetite for further discussion of its plan to close the military detention center.”[3]

The report recommended releasing 126 to their homes or to a third country, 36 be prosecuted in either federal court or a military commission, and 48 be held indefinitely under the laws of war.[4] In addition, 30 Yemenis were approved for release if security conditions in their home country improve.[3]

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