Guantánamo Bay
Libyan prisoner, Ismail Ali Faraj Ali Bakush, 54, has been cleared for release by the periodic review board. He has been held at Guantánamo without charge or trial for over 20 years. Of the 36 remaining prisoners, 22 have been cleared for release. Bakush cannot be released to Libya given the security situation in the country and thus a “safe” third country will need to be found to host him. At the end of August, his compatriot Abu Faraj al-Libi, a former CIA secret prison detainee, was not cleared and remain one of three “forever” prisoners. Clearance for transfer does not guarantee release, with some prisoners cleared by the Obama administration still held at Guantánamo.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/23/us/politics/libyan-guantanamo-transfer.html
The Biden administration has appointed a senior diplomat, Tina Kaidanow, to oversee the transfer of prisoners who have been cleared for release.
“The administration has also signalled that it will not interfere with plea negotiations that could resolve the long-stalled prosecution of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants.”
In addition, “[…] the University of Pennsylvania released a near 200-page report that provided a road map to closing the facility. The report was drafted by national security experts, including former Guantanamo military prosecutors and defence lawyers, and recommends abolishing the military commissions and resolving the remaining trials through plea bargains.”
