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Guantanamo Inmates To Be Transferred To US
By Daily GraphicSat, 24 Oct 2009 | Print | E-Mail | PDF | Graphics Version
International
The US Congress has cleared the way for the government to continue to transfer inmates held at the Guantanamo camp in Cuba to the US but only to face trial.
The Senate vote, which follows approval in the House last week, clears one of the hurdles facing President Barack Obama as he seeks to close Guantanamo.
But the measure does not allow those convicted to be imprisoned in the US nor permit those cleared to stay.
Mr Obama has set a January 22, 2010 deadline for closing the detention centre.
More than 220 inmates are still held at the Guantanamo camp, which was opened after the 11 September attacks.
The bill, which must now be signed into law by President Obama, was passed by 79 to 19 votes in the Senate, as part of a larger budget bill for the Department of Homeland Security.
The US justice department has said that it intends to decide by mid-November which detainees will stand trial and what kind of court they will face.
This legislation represents the clearing of a potential roadblock for President Obama as he considers the vexed task of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
It is largely an extension of current policy, but given the fierce resistance in the US to letting Guantanamo inmates onto its soil for any reason, even preserving the status quo represents a small victory.
What this bill does not offer is any help on the question of what happens to those inmates once they have been through a judicial process.
The legislation does not allow those acquitted to stay in the US, and those convicted would not be able to serve their sentences in US prisons.
Under the terms of the bill, Congress must be provided with a detailed assessment of the security risk involved before a detainee could be brought to the US.
Credit — BBC Share Your Thoughts on this article Name Email Location Comments Graphic Ghana may edit your comments and not all comments will be published
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