US repatriates 3 Guantanamo detainees, including one held for 17 years without charge

WASHINGTON — The U.S. has transferred two Malaysian prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay military prison to their homeland after they pleaded guilty to charges related to the deadly 2002 Bali bombings and agreed to testify against the alleged mastermind of that and other attacks, — the Pentagon said. Wednesday.

Prosecutors say Mohammed Fariq bin Amin and Mohammed Nazir bin Lep worked for years with Entep Nurjaman, known as Hambali, an Indonesian leader Al-Qaeda affiliate Jemaa Islamia. This includes helping Nurjaman escape capture after Explosions on October 12, 2002 According to US officials, 202 people died in two nightclubs in Bali.

In January, the two men pleaded guilty to conspiracy and other charges. Their transfer came after they provided testimony that prosecutors plan to use in the future against Nurjaman, the alleged mastermind, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Noorjaman is being held at Guantanamo Bay pending the resumption of pre-trial hearings in January in connection with the Bali bombings and other terrorist attacks.

The transfers of the two Malaysians leave 27 detainees in custody at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. President George Bush established a military tribunal and a prison after the Al-Qaeda terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on the USA

At its peak, Guantanamo detained hundreds of men, most of them Muslim, during the US military’s “war on terror” after the 9/11 attacks.

Only two men at Guantánamo are serving sentences. The U.S. prosecution of the seven others so far indicted has been slowed by legal hurdles — including the torture of the men during their early years in CIA custody — and logistical difficulties.

On Tuesday, US authorities repatriated a Kenyan manMohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu, after 17 years at Guantánamo without charge.

His release awaits the release of another 15 people who were never charged. The US is looking for suitable and stable countries that are willing to host them. Many are from Yemen, a war-torn country dominated by a militant group linked to Iran.

Amnesty International called the president Joe Biden end the detention of people who have never been charged before he leaves office. If not, the rights group said in a statement, “he will continue to bear responsibility for the U.S. government’s abhorrent practice of indefinite detention without charge or trial.”