Washington, March 08: US President Barack Obama has issued an order that lifts the two-year freeze on new military trials for uncharged detainees at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.
Obama said on Monday that reviews need to be held at least every four years for Gitmo prisoners without any charges or trial, Reuters reported.
The US president suggested new procedures for the reviews, making it clear that the Guantanamo prison will not be shut down any time soon.
Meanwhile, the White House says it remains fully committed to eventually close the detention facility as it was Obama’s first executive order after he was elected in January 2009.
“We will continue to draw on all aspects of our justice system — including Article III courts (US federal courts) — to ensure that our security and our values are strengthened,” Obama said in his Monday statement.
According to a senior official in the Obama administration, the first round of new charges against prisoners is likely to come within the following days or weeks.
The Guantanamo detention facility was initially established at a US naval base in Cuba on January 11, 2002, under former US President George W. Bush.
There are currently about 172 detainees at Guantanamo, many of whom have been held there for more than nine years. They include inmates suspected to be involved in the 9/11 attacks and other strikes against the United States.
Almost 800 people have been detained at the infamous prison since it was opened in 2002.
——–Agencies