At Guantanamo, the uncertain future of the 11 prisoners released and sent to Oman

The American army has released 11 Yemenis detained at Guantanamo prison, sent to Oman so that they can start a new life, the Pentagon announced on Monday, January 6. These 11 prisoners were to be released in October 2023, but the US Congress had suspended the decision due to growing instability in the Middle East. There are only 15 detainees left at Guantanamo, the smallest number since the center opened in January 2002.

« Like the vast majority of the 800 prisoners incarcerated at Guantanamo, the eleven released were detained without ever having been charged. There were never any charges, no criminal proceedings, they were not tried and yet they were deprived of their liberty for more than twenty years “, explains Pardiss Kebriaei, lawyer at the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York. She defends Sharqawi Al Hajj, one of the ex-detainees transferred to Oman. Before Guantanamo, many of them went through the “ sites noirs » of the CIA, where they suffered the worst torture in defiance of international law.

Welcomed then forced into exile

No details have been revealed about the diplomatic agreement between the United States and Oman. This is not the first time that the peaceful Sultanate of Oman has welcomed former Guantanamo detainees. Already between 2015 and 2017, it welcomed 28 Yemenis, providing them with housing, cars, professional training and access to healthcare. Presented as a model country for the rehabilitation of Guantanamo prisoners, “ Oman was the best country to start life over », assures the Yemeni Mansoor Adayfi, former detainee at Guantanamo, project coordinator for the NGO CAGE International and author of the book: Don’t forget us here : Lost and found at Guantanamo (not translated).

However, in January 2023, everything changed: after finding a job, getting married and having children for some, the 27 ex-detainees (the last died before) were forced to leave Oman to return to Yemen, country torn apart by civil war where access to physical care and psychological help, essential to these traumatized people, is made impossible. The United States also prohibits the sending of former Guantanamo prisoners to Yemen for these reasons.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemeni territory, have targeted people they believe to be affiliated with Al-Qaida in recent years, including former Guantanamo prisoners. Mansoor Adayfi assures that “ some of them, returning from Oman, were arrested after returning to Yemen and spent time in prison “. But Pardiss Kebriaei tempers: “ I don’t think the risk of persecution is proven, but the environment in Yemen is certainly not suitable for them ».

“There is no rehabilitation program”

She adds: “ The commitment of the countries which welcome these men is relatively short-term. Resettlement in European countries has been prolonged over the long term, but in other places, such as the United Arab Emirates, it has deteriorated terribly “. Mansoor Adayfi is much less nuanced: “ There is no actual rehabilitation program. The United States gives recommendations, but it is up to the discretion of the host countries to offer or not the conditions to rebuild. Either we accept their conditions or we go back to prison », Says the ex-detainee who was sent to Serbia after his detention in 2016 and who still cannot leave this territory.

Among the detainees transferred to Oman on January 6 was Moath Al Alwi, who rose to prominence in the art world after constructing boat figurines from objects found in the prison. But also Shaqawi Al Hajj, client of Pardiss Kebriaei, who has increased the number of hunger strikes. The future of these ex-detainees in Oman remains unclear in the longer term. But the relief of their release outweighs everything else for now. Shaqawi Al Hajj « just turned 50 and was hoping to get married and start a family. I have seen other people rebuild themselves, it takes time but it is possible », confides the lawyer. “ We are already in contact with the released men and thanks to the Guantanamo Survivors Fund, we will obviously do everything to support them “, affirms, for his part, Mansoor Adayfi.

Release before Trump

As an extension of Barack Obama’s policy, Joe Biden promised to close the Guantanamo prison before the end of his mandate. Already last month, the United States had released Tunisian Ridah bin Saleh Al Yazidi, Kenyan Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu and two Malaysians. For those still imprisoned on the American military base in Cuba, Pardiss Kebriaei has hope: “ the Biden government still has some time to act. Obama transferred one of our clients two days before Donald Trump succeeded him. There are six people who are not charged among the detainees. It seems possible that they will be released before January 20 “. Donald Trump has not yet announced anything on Guantanamo. During his first term, he halted all efforts to close the prison.