Guantánamo Panel Approves Transfer of First High-Value Detainee

WASHINGTON — A Somali antheral who has been held astatine Guantánamo Bay arsenic a high-value captive was approved for transportation with information assurances, according to a papers obtained Monday, making him the archetypal detainee who was brought determination from a C.I.A. achromatic tract to beryllium recommended for release.

Guled Hassan Duran, 47, received connection of the determination connected Monday morning, the eve of the 20th day of the constitution of the detention installation astatine the U.S. naval basal successful Cuba. He became the 14th oregon 15th of the 39 detainees still astatine Guantánamo with support for transportation erstwhile U.S. diplomats find countries to judge them with information guarantees that fulfill the defence secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III.

Mr. Duran was captured successful Djibouti successful 2004, spent astir 900 days successful C.I.A. custody and has been held successful classified detention facilities astatine Guantánamo Bay without complaint since September 2006. He cannot instrumentality to his homeland nether a legislature prohibition connected the transportation of Guantánamo detainees to Somalia, Libya, Syria and Yemen.

John F. Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, declined to remark connected the lawsuit oregon connected immoderate approvals that the interagency Periodic Review Board had made but not announced.

“The medication remains dedicated to closing the detention installation astatine Guantánamo Bay,” helium said. “Nothing has changed astir that.”

Mr. Duran is improbable to spell anyplace soon. The Biden medication has transferred lone 1 detainee from the prison, a Moroccan antheral whose repatriation negotiations were begun during the Obama administration, enactment connected clasp during the Trump medication and completed successful July. Once a woody is reached for immoderate of the cleared prisoners, the caput of defence has to motion disconnected connected it and Congress has to beryllium provided 30 days’ notice.

Mr. Kirby besides declined to sermon the lawsuit of Moath al-Alwi, a Yemeni antheral successful his mid-40s whose sister posted connected Facebook that helium had besides been notified that helium was approved for transfer. “We inquire Allah to merchandise them all,” she said.

Mr. Alwi has go arsenic 1 of Guantánamo’s best-recognized situation artists. In 2018, replicas of sailing ships that helium fashioned from recovered objects successful the cellblocks were the centerpieces of “Ode to the Sea,” an creation amusement astatine the John Jay College of Criminal Justice successful New York. Soon after, the Defense Department declared creation created by Guantánamo detainees spot of the U.S. authorities and prohibited prisoners from giving pieces to their lawyers oregon anyone else. Prison unit besides stopped showcasing his creation successful quality media visits.

His lawyer, Beth D. Jacob, declined to comment.

Mr. Duran’s lawyer, Shayana Kadidal of the Center for Constitutional Rights, said helium was informed of the support aft his lawsuit was notified of the board’s decision connected Monday morning. The document, dated Nov. 10, pledged “vigorous efforts volition beryllium undertaken to place a suitable transportation location” that is “outside the United States, taxable to due information and quality attraction assurances.”

Mr. Duran lived successful Sweden arsenic a teenage refugee, has relatives successful Canada and has “good options” for imaginable resettlement countries, Mr. Kadidal said. He described him arsenic “smart and resourceful and has the acquisition of surviving successful respective antithetic countries.”

The different high-value detainee who could go the archetypal to spell is Majid Khan, a U.S.-educated Pakistani antheral who pleaded blameworthy to warfare crimes charges and was sentenced to 26 years successful situation starting successful 2012. But past year, Mr. Khan and his lawyers reached a concealed deal with a elder Pentagon authoritative to extremity his condemnation arsenic aboriginal arsenic adjacent period and nary aboriginal than February 2025.

Under that scenario, U.S. diplomats would person to negociate his resettlement oregon repatriation arsenic well.

Word of the approvals for much transfers came astatine a clip of rising Covid-19 cases astatine the base, which connected Monday forced the Navy infirmary determination to curtail services.

On Monday, the infirmary spokeswoman, Dawn C. Grimes, reported that it had 88 “confirmed, active” cases, and 455 radical successful quarantine oregon isolation — including immoderate who had travel to the basal unvaccinated and required a 14-day quarantine.

Two of the residents who tested affirmative for the microorganism were minors.

None person required hospitalization, but each were experiencing symptoms, Ms. Grimes said, including headaches, fever, shortness of enactment and cough. “Currently, nary cases are categorized arsenic serious,” she said.

The basal has an 85 percent vaccination rate, and constricted investigating capabilities for the virus. Ms. Grimes said that the base’s tests bash not place variants, but that “through reflection and analysis,” the unit has concluded that the cases are of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

The infirmary was intelligibly feeling the pinch of the abrupt rise, from 17 cases betwixt Dec. 1 and Jan. 4 to 88 astatine erstwhile connected Monday.

The infirmary has been offering curbside investigating and walk-up laboratory services, and attraction astatine its session has been constricted to urgent and acute cases.

“An accrued fig of infirmary unit are needed to enactment Covid-19 mitigation efforts,” a connection issued by the infirmary said. It added that the infirmary pharmacy, the lone 1 connected base, shifted to drive-up work only, ending astatine noon.

The Pentagon’s Southern Command, which runs the prison, confirmed Monday that it was inactive staffing the cognition of 39 detainees with 1,500 personnel, some soldiers and Defense Department contractors.

It has not disclosed however galore of the 900 unvaccinated basal residents were astatine the detention operation, and whether detainees and the mostly National Guard situation guards were successful quarantine.