26/06/2006
Dubai - Thirteen Saudi citizens and a Turkistani resident in the Kingdom who had been detained in the US Guantanamo Bay prison camp arrived in Saudi Arabia Sunday morning, Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Mansour bin Sultan al-Turki said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The Turkistani national was sent back to Saudi Arabia together with 13 Saudi detainees in view of the fact that his parents have been living in Saudi Arabia for several years. Al-Turki identified the men as Mousa Abdulwahab Abdulqader al-Housawi, Yousef Khamees Abdullah al-Sulaimani, Mohammad Soror Dakheelullah al-Otaibi, Abdulsalam Ghaithan Mureef al-Shehri, Othman Ahmad Othman al-Ghamdi, Saleh Ali Zaheed al-Khatha'ami, Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Abdulaziz al-Bidah and Siddeq Ahmad Siddeq Nour Turkistani. The other released prisoners were identified as Rashed Abdulmusleh Qaid al-Qaid, Tareq Shallah Hassan al-Harbi, Abdullah Mohammad Saleh al-Ghanmi, Ibraheem Mohammad Ibraheem al-Nasser, Sa'ad Ibraheem Sa'ad al-Badnah and Wasm Awwad Omar al-Wasm. The ministry’s statement said that anyone related to those on the list should call the following telephone number: 01-4034375 SPA also quoted Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz saying the efforts by the Saudi authorities under the directives of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz resulted in the release of the 14 detainees. Prince Nayef also said all measures have been completed to inform the men's families and to enable them to meet their relatives. Gulf News learned from informed Saudi security sources that the detainees underwent medical tests immediately after their arrival in the kingdom. "The authorities have also contacted their relatives and fixed appointments for them to meet their kin at a prison in Riyadh. Those detainees, who were found not involved in any terror or other criminal acts, will be released after completing the interrogation procedures," the sources said. Prince Naif also expressed his appreciation to US authorities for their cooperation, pointing out that the released detainees would be subjected to the Kingdom's procedures. Regarding the international campaign to close the detention facility in Guantanamo Bay and whether Saudi Arabia supported this, Naif replied, “Of course.” He expressed the hope that all Saudis there would come back to the Kingdom. When asked whether the detainees handed over to the Kingdom had been involved in any terrorist acts, the prince said the men were being investigated and “we promise to explain everything to the Saudi people.” He affirmed that efforts would continue in seeking the release of the rest of the Saudi detainees in the near future. US authorities last week sent to Saudi Arabia the bodies of two Saudis they said had committed suicide while in detention in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Families of the victims have claimed the men did not kill themselves and held US authorities responsible for they deaths. Some 100 Saudis remain in detention at the base that houses around 450 inmates from different nations. Washington says the prison is needed to prevent dangerous al-Qaeda and Taleban figures from returning to the battlefield and to extract information that may help prevent future attacks.
The release of the 14 Saudis from the US military detention camp at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba on Saturday was the result of worldwide pressure and condemnation of the Bush Administration, said Nihad Awad, director of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). “I’m happy that these 14 were released and I hope that they will soon enjoy their lives with their families,” he said in a phone interview with Arab News. Awad also said that those left behind in Guantanamo should not be forgotten. According to ABC News, there are still 450 prisoners in the camp. Awad pointed out that the Guantanamo facility runs counter to America’s history of just and democratic institutions and that he hoped the Bush Administration would close it.
SOURCE: DPA, Gulf News, Arab News |
