Human Rights First Commends Transfer of Guantanamo Detainee, Calls for Swift Closure of the Prison

NEW YORK – Today, the Biden administration transferred its first detainee, Abdul Latif Nasser, out of Guantanamo Bay to his home country of Morocco. Nasser had been held at the Guantanamo prison for 19 years without charge or trial, even after he was unanimously cleared for transfer five years ago by a Periodic Review Board composed of senior officials from agencies including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

“The transfer of Nasser is an encouraging step towards the ultimate closure of the prison at Guantanamo, and we urge the Biden administration to swiftly negotiate the transfers of other cleared prisoners,” said Senior Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Quigley. “Guantanamo is the embodiment of America’s post-9/11 human rights abuses and disregard for the rule of law. If President Biden is truly committed to upholding human rights, he must close the prison once and for all.”

In February, Human Rights First joined more than 100 organizations in a letter to President Biden imploring him to close the prison at Guantanamo. Thirty-nine men remain in Guantanamo, 28 of whom have never been charged with a crime despite being held in custody for nearly two decades.