US transfers 11 Yemen detainees from Guantanamo to Oman 

The US has transferred 11 Yemeni detainees from its notorious Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to Oman after holding them for over two decades without charge or trial. The move leaves just 15 detainees in the infamous prison, the lowest number since it opened in 2002 during the so-called War on Terror.

“The United States appreciates the willingness of the government of Oman and other partners to support ongoing US efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” said the US Department of Defence.

Those transferred include Tawfiq Al-Bihani, cleared for release since 2010; Khalid Qassim, a hunger striker who has spent most of his adult life in detention; and Hassan Bin Attash, captured in 2002. In a press release, US-based rights group the Centre for Constitutional Rights (CCR) highlighted the plight of detainees like Sharqawi Al-Hajj, who endured hunger strikes and hospitalisation to protest against his imprisonment.

“Our thoughts are with Mr Al Hajj as he transitions to the free world after almost 23 years in captivity,” said Pardiss Kebriaei, a lawyer at CCR who represents Al-Hajj. “His release is hopeful for him and for us.”

11 Yemeni brothers were freed from #Guantanamo today for resettlement in #Oman after 23 years without charge or trial.
الحمد لله الذي أخرجهم من الظلم و التعذيب

15 remain, including #Gaza #Palestinian #ForeverPrisoner #AbuZubaydah – deemed “too risky to free and too innocent to… pic.twitter.com/Vw6uDLGWPI

— Moazzam Begg (@Moazzam_Begg) January 6, 2025

The CCR detailed that before being sent to Guantanamo in 2004, Al-Hajj was detained in CIA “dark sites” in Jordan and Afghanistan, as well as Bagram Air Force Base, as outlined in unclassified court documents. He is one of 119 victims named in the Senate intelligence committee report on the CIA torture programme.

WATCH: From Guantanamo to Palestine: MEMO in Conversation with Anas Mustapha

Efforts to repatriate Yemeni detainees have been complicated by the Saudi and UAE-led war on Yemen and US and British air strikes on the country over Sanaa’s ongoing military support for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, prompting their resettlement in neighbouring Oman.

Guantanamo, established in the wake of the 11 September, 2001 attacks, once held 800 detainees. Criticism over indefinite detention without trial and alleged torture has persisted for years. Despite pledges from Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden to close the facility, it remains operational.

Indeed, Obama faced congressional resistance against closing the prison, while incoming President Donald Trump reversed efforts, keeping it open during his previous term in office. Biden’s administration has accelerated detainee transfers but is unlikely to achieve Guantanamo’s closure before leaving office later this month.

READ: Detainee repatriated from Guantanamo Bay to Tunisia: Pentagon