The White House: Biden wants to close Guantanamo Bay prison before the end of his term
White House spokesperson Jen Psaki announced that US President Joe Biden wants to close Guantanamo Bay during his term.
In doing so, Biden revives a promise made by former President Barack Obama (2008-2016) during his election campaign, but which he was unable to fulfill.
Guantanamo Bay currently holds about 40 prisoners, 26 of whom are considered too dangerous to be released and legal proceedings are delayed due to the complexity of their files.
Obama had pledged to close the famous prison when he ran for the presidency for the first time in 2008, and said: “Guantanamo will be closed within one year of entering the White House,” but he failed to implement one of his most important promises.
Close to Obama attributed his failure to close the most controversial prison to several obstacles, among them the obstacles put in place by the US Congress when it passed a law in 2011 called the “National Defense Authorization Act,” which includes severe restrictions on the use of public funds for transporting prisoners to their countries or states United for trial.
This law included conditions, including the prohibition of transfers if the Minister of Defense did not decide that the receiving state had fulfilled specific criteria, including its obligation to ensure that the released detainee would not engage in “terrorist” acts or activities that would threaten the United States or its allies.
