But in February, the Periodic Critique Board — a govt entity set up through the Obama administration to identify whether detainees at the facility had been guilty — suggested repatriating al-Qahtani to a psychological health and fitness facility in Saudi Arabia. The board “decided that continued law of war detention of the detainee is no lengthier required to shield in opposition to a continuing substantial threat to the safety of the United States,” according to community paperwork.
“The United States appreciates the willingness of Saudi Arabia and other partners to support ongoing U.S. initiatives towards a deliberate and extensive approach targeted on responsibly lowering the detainee inhabitants and ultimately closing of the Guantanamo Bay facility,” the Protection Office said in a statement Monday.
Though his law firm, Ramzi Kassem, who has been symbolizing al-Qahtani for about a decade, does not believe al-Qahtani’s repatriation means that “justice was accomplished,” he is happy his client will be capable to acquire the care he requires back again in Saudi Arabia, Kassem said in a assertion. Kassem is a regulation professor at the Metropolis University of New York and has represented al-Qahtani in collaboration with the Heart for Constitutional Legal rights.
“It would not be right to say that justice was carried out with Mohammed’s repatriation simply because nothing can make up for the torture of a sick male and his incarceration without having trial over two decades,” Kassem mentioned. “For Mohammed, this is about survival. The conclusion of his long nightmare at Guantanamo signifies that he lastly has a possibility to acquire the health-related awareness he desperately wants in Saudi Arabia, with the assistance of his loving household.”
30-eight detainees now stay at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Of these, “19 are eligible for transfer 7 are eligible for a Periodic Evaluate Board 10 are involved in the armed service commissions system and two detainees have been convicted in armed service commissions,” the Defense Division explained.
CNN’s Mary Kay Mallonee contributed to this report.