US House allows transfer of Guantanamo prisoners for trials

September 30th, 2009 List shows 75 Gitmo prisoners cleared for releaseSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — At least 75 Guantanamo detainees have been cleared for release by a task force sorting through the remaining prisoners as part of the Obama administration's effort to shutter the jail, according to a list released Monday by the U.S. military. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brook DeWalt, a spokesman for the prison that now holds about 223 men, said the list written in Arabic, Pashto and English was posted in common areas throughout the isolated detention camps.

September 26th, 2009 3 Gitmo prisoners transferred to Ireland, YemenWASHINGTON — With the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison by a January deadline in doubt, the Justice Department Saturday announced the transfer of three detainees to the governments of Yemen and Ireland. Alla Ali Bin Ali Ahmed, a Yemen native, was returned to his homeland after being imprisoned for seven years.

August 29th, 2009 Two Gitmo detainees sent to PortugalWASHINGTON — Justice Department officials said Friday that two Syrians held at Guantanamo Bay have been sent to Portugal. United States officials announced the transfer without naming the detainees.

August 28th, 2009 2 Gitmo detainees sent to PortugalWASHINGTON — Two Syrians held at Guantanamo Bay have been sent to Portugal. The Justice Department announced the transfer without naming the detainees.

July 24th, 2009 Rights group makes case for moving Gitmo trialsSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The vast majority of recent terrorism prosecutions in the U.S. ended in conviction and prison sentences, a human rights group said Thursday in a study arguing that American government doesn't need its special war crimes court or indefinite detention to deal with the nearly 230 men held at Guantanamo.

July 24th, 2009 Some Gitmo detainees may come to US jailsWASHINGTON — The Pentagon's top lawyer said Friday that the Obama administration has not abandoned the possibility of transferring some prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to a prison in the United States despite strong congressional concerns. Defense Department general counsel Jeh Charles Johnson told the House Armed Services Committee that some suspected terrorists might be transferred to the U.S.

June 18th, 2009 House rejects measure on Guantanamo closingWASHINGTON — The House has voted to deny the use of any federal money for the closing of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay next year and to impose restrictions on the transfer of detainees to the United States. But House members, in a narrow vote Thursday, defeated a Republican amendment to a 2010 spending bill that would have imposed a more blanket prohibition on the use of any funds related to closing the facility.

June 17th, 2009 MADRID - The US has asked Spain to take four detainees from its Guantanamo prison camp when it is closed next year, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said Wednesday. Moratinos spoke in Madrid after Spanish government representatives met Daniel Fried, the US special envoy for closing Guantanamo.

June 15th, 2009 Italy open to taking 3 Guantanamo detaineesWASHINGTON — Italy says it is open to taking at least three detainees from Guantanamo. An aide to Premier Silvio Berlusconi said Monday the topic will likely come up during the Italian leader's meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House later in the day.

June 12th, 2009 House panel would deny benefits to detaineesWASHINGTON — A key House panel has voted to deny immigration benefits to Guantanamo Bay detainees who might be released into the U.S. after being brought in for trial.

May 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - About one in seven of the 534 prisoners released from the Guantanamo Bay dentition center in Cuba, has returned to terrorism or militant activity, an unreleased Pentagon report has claimed. This conclusion could strengthen critics' arguments against the transfer or release of any more detainees as part of President Obama's plan to shut down the facility.

May 10th, 2009 Cheney derides idea of closing Guantanamo prisonWASHINGTON — Former Vice President Dick Cheney says transferring suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to the United States would be a bad idea. The Obama administration has pledged to close the military prison in Cuba and raised the possibility of transferring some inmates to this country.

May 9th, 2009 GOP: Closing Guantanamo prison threatens securityWASHINGTON — Republicans say the White House plan to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay "is a dangerous case of putting symbolism over security." President Barack Obama needs to tell the public where the suspected terrorists will go after the facility in Cuba is shuttered, Missouri Sen.

May 3rd, 2009 US asks Germany to take Gitmo prisonersBERLIN — The United States has asked Germany to accept some Guantanamo prisoners when the facility is closed, the Interior Ministry said Sunday, confirming German media reports. An Interior Ministry spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the ministry's policy, confirmed a report in Der Spiegel magazine that the U.S.

March 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Thursday named a veteran diplomat to oversee the closure of the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and potential transfer of prisoners to other countries. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Daniel Fried, currently the department's top official for European relations, as the envoy for shutting Guantanamo, State Department spokesman Robert Wood said.