MEDIA CONTACT: Mandy Simon, [email protected]
(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Department of Defense today announced two more detainees have been transferred out of Guantánamo, bringing the prison’s total number of detainees to 91. The transfers come the day before the 8th anniversary of President Obama’s executive order to close the detention site. President Obama recommitted last week to closing Guantánamo before he leaves office during his last State of the Union speech. In response, Naureen Shah, director of Amnesty International USA’s Security and Human Rights Program, issued the following statement:
“It’s heartening to see President Obama continue to push forward in his plans to transfer more and more detainees out of Guantánamo. The president is clearly undeterred by congressional threats around the detention site and he should remain resolute in the coming months. With Guantánamo’s population below 100 for the first time in fourteen years, this trickle of transfers should become a torrent. Otherwise, the US risks making this ugly stain on its human rights record permanent.”
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.