Tunisian detainees at Guantanamo Bay

The United States Department of Defense acknowledges holding Tunisian detainees in Guantanamo.^[1] A total of 779 detainees have been held in extrajudicial detention in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba since the camps opened on January 11, 2002 The camp population peaked in 2004 at approximately 660. Only nineteen new detainees, all "high value detainees" have been transferred there since the United States Supreme Court's ruling in Rasul v. Bush.^[2] As of December 2023^[update], 30 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.^[3] By July 2012 the camp held 168 captives.

On February 24, 2010, Carol Rosenberg, of the Miami Herald, reported that Albania accepted the transfer of three former detainees, a Tunisian, Saleh Bin Hadi Asasi and Sharif Fati Ali al Mishad and Rauf Omar Mohammad Abu al Qusin, an Egyptian, and a Libyan.^[2][4][5] The men will not be allowed to leave Albania.

On July 27, 2012, Tunisia Live asserted the five remaining Tunisian captives would be repatriated by the end of 2012.^[6]

Previously, the risk of torture under the Ben Ali regime meant the five Tunisian detainees could not safely return home. Now, with Tunisia's democratic transition in full effect, there is nothing to prevent these Tunisian citizens returning to their country.^[7]

Tunisian detainees in Guantanamo

isn	name	arrival date	departure date	notes
38	Ridah Bin Saleh Al Yazidi	2002-01-12
46	Salah Bin Al Hadi Asasi	2002-01-20	2010-02-24	Transferred to Albania[8]
148	Adil Ben HMIDA Mabrouk	2002-02-09	2009-11-30	Transferred to Italy for criminal prosecution
168	Adel bin Ibrahim Hkiml	[9]	2014-12-30	Transferred to Kazakhstan
174	Hisham Sliti	2002-05-01	2014-11-20	Transferred to Slovakia
502	Abdul Bin Mohammed Bin Abess Ourgy	2002-05-01	2014-12-08	granted asylum in Uruguay
510	Riyad Bil Mohammed Tahir Nasseri	2002-06-08	2009-11-30	Transferred to Italy for criminal prosecution
660	Lufti Bin Swei Lagha	2002-06-14	2007-06-17
717	Abdul Haddi Bin Hadiddi	2002-08-05	2010-03-23	Transferred to Georgia
721	Abdullah Bin Omar	2002-08-05	2007-06-17
892	Rafiq Bin Bashir Bin Jalud Al Hami	2003-02-07	2010-01-24	Transferred to Slovakia
894	Lufti Bin Ali	2003-02-07	2014-12-30	Transferred to Kazakhstan

References

1. "List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. Retrieved 2006-05-15. Works related to List of Individuals Detained by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba from January 2002 through May 15, 2006 at Wikisource
2. "Guantanamo four arrive in Europe". BBC News. 2010-02-24. Retrieved 2010-02-24. A Tunisian, Egyptian and Libyan were sent to Albania, while a Palestinian was sent to Spain. The Palestinian is the first of five inmates that Spain has agreed to take. Albania has taken eight detainees.
3. "The Guantánamo Docket". The New York Times. 11 December 2023. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
4. Carol Rosenberg (2010-02-24). "Judge OKs detention of 2 men Bush panel cleared". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2010-02-25.
5. Chris Wade (2010-02-24). "Four Guantanamo Bay detainees arrive in Albania and Spain". Digital Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-08-21.
6. "Tunisian Guantanamo Detainees to be Released By End of 2012". Tunisia Live. 2012-07-27. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2012-07-26. Tunisian Secretary of State for American and Asian Affairs, Hedi Ben Abbes, stated in an interview with Tunisia Live that the five Tunisians still remaining in the U.S Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay will be back to Tunisia by the end of this year.
7. "Unknown Fate for Forgotten Tunisians at Guantánamo Bay". Tunisia Live. 2012-07-27. Archived from the original on 2012-03-12. Retrieved 2012-07-26. Since the Revolution, Tunisia has been proactive in implementing policies that respect the human rights of its citizens. However, the Tunisian government still has not succeeded in resolving the issues surrounding the five remaining prisoners at Guantánamo.
8. Margot Williams (2008-11-03). "Guantanamo Docket: Saleh Bin Hadi Asasi". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
9. His arrival date was not documented.

External links

• Guantánamo: A Tale of Two Tunisians Andy Worthington

1. Countries of Citizenship of Guantanamo detainees from the New York Times