Oman receives 10 prisoners from Guantanamo Bay

Oman has said it received 10 inmates from the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, in a move to reduce their number days before US President Barack Obama leaves office.

Oman

File image of the entrance to Camp 5 and Camp 6 at the US military's Guantanamo Bay detention center, at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba, in 2015. Source: AP

The statement from the sultanate's foreign ministry did not disclose the nationality of the prisoners who would reside in the Gulf Arab country on a temporary basis.

"At the request of Sultan Qaboos and the US government for a solution to the question of Guantanamo detainees, 10 of these detainees arrived today in the sultanate to reside here temporarily," the ministry said, quoted by the official ONA news agency.

The latest transfers would leave the number of Guantanamo detainees at 45, based on figures the Pentagon issued when four Yemenis were sent to Saudi Arabia on January 6.

At the time, Obama's spokesman Josh Earnest said he would expect "additional transfers" before the Democrat hands power to President-elect Donald Trump on January 20.
Obama vowed to close the Guantanamo detention facility when he took office in 2009, arguing that detention without trial did not reflect American values.

But faced with Pentagon foot-dragging and stubborn Republican opposition, his administration has focused on whittling down the number of inmates.

Trump has called for a freeze on transfers.

On January 3 he tweeted that "there should be no further releases from Gitmo. These are extremely dangerous people and should not be allowed back onto the battlefield."



Share
Published 16 January 2017 6:48pm
Updated 16 January 2017 7:45pm
Source: AFP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world