Washington: The United States has sent two
Chinese Muslims to Switzerland, ending their eight years of
detention at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Justice Department announced the transfer today. It
did not identify the detainees, but the Obama administration
previously has said the Swiss had agreed to resettle two
brothers, Arkin Mahmud and Bahtiyar Mahnut.
There are now 183 detainees at Guantanamo, including five
Chinese Muslims, or Uighurs. They have been regarded as
symbols of the unfairness of the US detention policy after the
September 11, 2001, attacks.
Switzerland's decision to accept the brothers led the
Supreme Court to scuttle a case on detainee rights.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 23:09