Moroccan detained at Guantanamo Bay for more 13 years is repatriated
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Version 0 of 1. A Moroccan held for more than 13 years at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been repatriated, the U.S. military announced Thursday. Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri, 46, was captured in 2001 in Pakistan with a group of suspected al-Qaeda fighters after fleeing Afghanistan, according to U.S. military files disclosed by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. In early 2002, he was transferred to U.S. custody and later sent to Guantanamo Bay. A total of 115 detainees remain at the prison, with 53 of them cleared for transfer home or to a third country for resettlement. The latest detainee cleared for release was a Kuwaiti, the last one held at the prison eligible to be resettled. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has approved a total of eight detainees for transfer, including a Saudi who is expected to be moved soon. Two other detainees, including Ahmed Ould Abdel al-Aziz, a Mauritanian, and Shaker Aamer, a former U.K. resident, are expected to be approved for transfer in the coming months. Chekkouri was approved for release more than five years ago. In the summer of 2013, officials said, the Moroccan government agreed to accept him. In a statement, Reprieve, an international human rights organization that represented the Moroccan, said it was concerned about his welfare. Reprieve said it has been unable to contact Chekkouri and said he was being held at an unknown location in Morocco and hadn’t been allowed to contact a lawyer. “He must be permitted to see his lawyers and his family without further delay,” said Cori Crider, Chekkouri’s Reprieve lawyer. U.S. officials said that Chekkouri agreed to be repatriated. |