World

Ireland to take Guantanamo inmates

by Barbara McPherson | July 29, 2009 at 09:36 am

239 views | 68 Recommendations | 6 comments

Two more prisoners at Guantanamo prison camp will be leaving for freedom shortly as Ireland agrees to take them in. The men are Uzbeks.

The two men, reportedly Uzbeks, are expected to travel to Ireland in the "next couple of months," Dermot Ahern, the Irish justice minister, said on Wednesday.

The prisoners have been cleared of having any threat to the peace of the United States, but have been kept incarcerated because of the reluctance of the Americans to have them enter their society. Other countries have been reluctant to accept Guantanamo prisoners as well, taking only a few at a time. Italy, Hungary and Portugal have agreed to take a few each. Formerly, Albania received three Uighurs and Uighurs have settled in Bermuda.
President Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo prison camp, but the task is proving to be difficult.

The prospect of transferring the remaining approximately 240 inmates in Guantanamo to top security jails in the US remains deeply unpopular in the US Congress.

Britain has repatriated its citizens from the Guantanamo prison camp. Canada has not. The child soldier Omar Khadr remains in Guantanamo prison camp after more than seven years.

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Jarrett Martineau

at 10:02 on July 29th, 2009

Thanks for this.

mudricky

at 10:17 on July 29th, 2009

Would be intresting to see where everyone is going... does anyone know if there is such a list?

Rory Cripps

at 14:23 on July 29th, 2009

Give Ireland back to the Irish!

158

at 15:31 on July 29th, 2009

It is a strange decision by Ireland.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 17:35 on July 29th, 2009

It is of note, that Omar Khadr has been charged with murdering a U.S. soldier. While Canada has made no effort thus far to work for his release, it appears that the Obama Administration is not ready to let him go either. He is set to be tried by a Military Tribunal.

The Supreme Court of Canada has ordered the Canadian government to attempt to get Khadr released to Canada. So far the Canadian gouvernment hasn't acted on that order and was considering an appeal.

Khadr's family has had a long standing association with Al Quaeda, at one point even living in a compound with Bin Laden.

It is also of note, that the inmates being send to foreign countries or repatriated to their country of origin have been held without being charged.

Notwithstanding that, Canada's policy on Guantanamo inmates is that it will not accept prisoners that are considered terrorists by the US.

Barry ORegan

at 15:46 on August 10th, 2009

Not to mention Mommie "Wheres my Welfare Cheque" Khadr, derides Canada every chance she gets, and since our Illustrious Dork for Brains Jean Chretien who was lieberal prime minister in 1995 When the Elder Khadr was arrested on bombing and killing innocents at the Eqyptian Embassy, Chretien had requested Pakistan repatriate the Elder Khadr a known Bin Laden "Bum Buddy" home to Canada after he bombed killed and maimed innocent men, women and children outside the Egyptian Embassy in Pakistan. If he were left there to rot in hell instead being freed my Mr. Personality, lets all suck up for the multicultural vote, Omar most likely would not have been sent by his Mommy to go train in Afghanistan to shoot and kill Government forces, I blame Mommy Dearest for poisoning a child's mind ,he is better off in Gitmo than under Mommy's influence. Why for the life of me the entire family was not deported for all the hate they espouse against Canada as being weak and due for a terrorist invasion is beyond me.