The Pentagon revealed Monday, Dec. 30, that it’s releasing one of the longest-held prisoners at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi of Tunisia sat in the prison for more than 20 years without ever being charged with a crime.
The Biden administration said al-Yazidi, who is now 59 years old, was eligible to transfer after a review process.
He had been at Guantánamo since the day former President George W. Bush opened the prison camp in 2002 and was accused of being a member of al-Qaida, but never charged.
According to Human Rights First, he had been eligible for transfer since 2007 by former Presidents Bush and Barack Obama. However, a deal was never reached.
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Congress he supported al-Yazidi’s repatriation to Tunisia earlier this year.
The Biden administration has faced growing pressure to clear the camp of remaining men who haven’t been charged before President-elect Donald Trump takes over next month.
The Defense Department says that 14 of the remaining 26 detainees at Guantánamo are eligible for transfer.
Al-Yazidi is the fourth detainee in two weeks to be released from the prison.
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