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US Transfers Tunisian Detainee Held at Guantanamo Since 2002
Tunisian detainee Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi repatriated from Guantanamo Bay after 20+ years, a step in Biden's efforts to reduce the prison's population.
ND
by News Desk
2024-12-31
US Transfers Tunisian Detainee Held at Guantanamo Since 2002

The Pentagon has announced the release of Ridah bin Saleh al-Yazidi, a Tunisian detainee who had been held at Guantanamo Bay since the notorious prison camp's opening in 2002. Al-Yazidi was transferred to Tunisia on Monday, the US Department of Defense confirmed in a statement, marking another step in the Biden administration's efforts to reduce the number of detainees at the facility.

Al-Yazidi, 59, was never charged with any crime, and his transfer had been delayed for years, despite being approved for release over a decade ago. The Pentagon noted that the detainee's transfer was made possible after a rigorous interagency review process and consultations with the Tunisian government. The Biden administration has now completed four detainee transfers in just two weeks, continuing its commitment to decreasing the prison’s population. At the time President Biden took office in 2020, there were 40 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.

Al-Yazidi had been seized by Pakistani soldiers near the Afghanistan border in December 2001 and was suspected of being an al-Qaeda fighter, though he was never formally charged with a crime. He was sent to Guantanamo Bay on January 11, 2002, the day the facility first opened as part of the US’s controversial "war on terror" following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The detainee’s transfer was finalized after extensive coordination between the US government and Tunisia. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had notified Congress of his intent to support the transfer on January 31, 2024. Al-Yazidi’s release comes as part of a broader effort to wind down the detention facility, which once held nearly 800 prisoners.

As of now, 26 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay, with 14 eligible for transfer. Seven are involved in the military commissions process, and two have been convicted and sentenced. The prison has become a symbol of US abuses during the "war on terror," with some detainees having been subjected to torture in CIA-run “black sites” before being transferred to Guantanamo.

Although President Obama promised to close the facility, legal challenges and political opposition in the US hindered any substantial progress. Guantanamo Bay remains a focal point in debates surrounding human rights, military detention, and the legacy of the US's post-9/11 policies.
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