Britain May Take Gitmo Prisoners « The Washington Independent
Jul 31, 202090.6K Shares1.2M Views
Although Britain repeatedly refused Bush administration requests to take prisoners being held by US authorities at Guantanamo Bay, UPI reported on Thursday, via the Times of London, that the British government has changed its mind.
Eager to help president Obama close down the prison when he takes over in January — and no doubt hoping to win brownie points with the new American president — British officials are reportedly creating a process for dealing with certain prisoners who could be sent to the U.K., though exactly who would be invited “would be for the home secretary to decide on a case-by-case basis,” according to a Downing Street official quoted by the Times.
Portugal has called on EU member nations to accept some detainees in their countries, and Germany has said it is considering doing so.
As we’ve reported before, some Gitmo detainees, such as the 17 Uighursand some Yemeni prisoners, have been cleared by the US for release but can’t return to their home countries, where they’d likely face persecution. Although the Bush administration has adamantly refused to allow any of the men to settle in the United States, it has reportedly asked about 100 other countries to take them. Until now, most have refused.
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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