From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Trump warns Obama against more Guantanamo releases
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleUS President-elect Donald Trump warns Tuesday against releasing any more terror suspects from the Guantanamo Bay prison, in a bid to preempt any moves before Barack Obama leaves office.
“There should be no further releases from Gitmo. These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the battlefield,” tweets Trump.
There should be no further releases from Gitmo. These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the battlefield.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 3, 2017
There are 59 prisoners remaining at the controversial detention center, only a handful of whom have been tried for alleged crimes. Many are in legal limbo. Obama came to office vowing to shutter the facility, saying detention without trial did not reflect American values.
But he has run up against political and legal hurdles, Pentagon foot dragging and stubborn Republican opposition in Congress. With Guantanamo’s closure blocked, Obama’s White House has focused on whittling down the number of inmates.
George W. Bush had released or transferred around 500 inmates before leaving office, Obama has released or transferred around 179.
Obama’s administration is reportedly eyeing further transfers before Trump is sworn in on January 20 — the president-elect having on the contrary vowed to “load (Guantanamo) up with some bad dudes” once in office.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.