SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
After Years in Guantanamo Prison Without Charge, Future Even More Uncertain for Yemeni Detainees
Jan 08, 2010
Although President Obama came into office last year promising to close down the infamous prison camp at Guantanamo, nearly 200 men are still imprisoned there. On Tuesday, Obama noted that the would-be bomber Christmas Day airline bomber had received training in Yemen and emphasized his links to a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. He went on to announce that he had suspended the transfer of any more Guantanamo detainees to Yemen. About half of the men remaining in Guantanamo are from Yemen.
Next week will mark the eighth anniversary of the first transfer of prisoners to the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although President Obama came into office last year promising to close down the infamous detention center, nearly 200 men are still imprisoned in Guantanamo.
As the Obama administration grapples with security concerns stemming from the attempted airline bombing on Christmas, the future of these men hangs in the balance.
On Tuesday, President Obama noted that the would-be bomber had received training in Yemen and emphasized his links to a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. He went on to announce that he had suspended the transfer of any more Guantanamo detainees to Yemen. About half of the men remaining in Guantanamo are from Yemen.
Meanwhile classified Pentagon assessments show an increase in the number of prisoners released from Guantanamo who have joined militant groups like Al Qaeda.
For more on the future of Guantanamo and the men still being detained there we're joined now from London by journalist and author Andy Worthington. His book is "The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison." He is also co-director of the film, "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Although President Obama came into office last year promising to close down the infamous prison camp at Guantanamo, nearly 200 men are still imprisoned there. On Tuesday, Obama noted that the would-be bomber Christmas Day airline bomber had received training in Yemen and emphasized his links to a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. He went on to announce that he had suspended the transfer of any more Guantanamo detainees to Yemen. About half of the men remaining in Guantanamo are from Yemen.
Next week will mark the eighth anniversary of the first transfer of prisoners to the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although President Obama came into office last year promising to close down the infamous detention center, nearly 200 men are still imprisoned in Guantanamo.
As the Obama administration grapples with security concerns stemming from the attempted airline bombing on Christmas, the future of these men hangs in the balance.
On Tuesday, President Obama noted that the would-be bomber had received training in Yemen and emphasized his links to a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. He went on to announce that he had suspended the transfer of any more Guantanamo detainees to Yemen. About half of the men remaining in Guantanamo are from Yemen.
Meanwhile classified Pentagon assessments show an increase in the number of prisoners released from Guantanamo who have joined militant groups like Al Qaeda.
For more on the future of Guantanamo and the men still being detained there we're joined now from London by journalist and author Andy Worthington. His book is "The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison." He is also co-director of the film, "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo."
Although President Obama came into office last year promising to close down the infamous prison camp at Guantanamo, nearly 200 men are still imprisoned there. On Tuesday, Obama noted that the would-be bomber Christmas Day airline bomber had received training in Yemen and emphasized his links to a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. He went on to announce that he had suspended the transfer of any more Guantanamo detainees to Yemen. About half of the men remaining in Guantanamo are from Yemen.
Next week will mark the eighth anniversary of the first transfer of prisoners to the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Although President Obama came into office last year promising to close down the infamous detention center, nearly 200 men are still imprisoned in Guantanamo.
As the Obama administration grapples with security concerns stemming from the attempted airline bombing on Christmas, the future of these men hangs in the balance.
On Tuesday, President Obama noted that the would-be bomber had received training in Yemen and emphasized his links to a Yemeni branch of Al Qaeda. He went on to announce that he had suspended the transfer of any more Guantanamo detainees to Yemen. About half of the men remaining in Guantanamo are from Yemen.
Meanwhile classified Pentagon assessments show an increase in the number of prisoners released from Guantanamo who have joined militant groups like Al Qaeda.
For more on the future of Guantanamo and the men still being detained there we're joined now from London by journalist and author Andy Worthington. His book is "The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison." He is also co-director of the film, "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.