WASHINGTON: The US Department of Defense said on Tuesday that it has returned one of the remaining prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay military prison to Tunisia.
According to the New York Times, Riddah bin Saleh al-Yazidi was one of the first detainees to be sent to Guantanamo Bay, which was hastily opened in 2002 under President George W. Bush.
He was found eligible for transfer “through a rigorous interagency review process,” a Defense Department statement said.
“In consultation with our partner in Tunisia, we have met the requirements for a responsible transition.”
The statement said that now only 26 inmates remain in the facility. At its peak, the facility, located on the eastern tip of Cuba, housed about 800 prisoners.
The detention center, run by the US Navy, was created after Bush declared a “war on terror” following the 9/11 attacks.
Conditions at Guantanamo Bay have drawn continued outcry from rights groups, who accuse the United States of torture and other human rights abuses under its razor wire perimeter.