Pentagon "Ready to Free Prisoners from Cuban Camp"

Ananova, May 5, 2003

The US government is preparing to free two dozen terrorist suspects from its high-security prison in Cuba, defence officials say.

The release is expected in the next few days, two senior Defence Department officials said on condition of anonymity.

They deny the release is the result of a complaint by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who has pressed the Pentagon to move faster in determining the fate of the prisoners at Guantanamo.

Some prisoners have been held for 18 months without charges and without access to lawyers.

Continued.

In what officials say was a "strongly worded" letter, Powell told Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld eight allies had complained about the holding of their citizens. He said failure to handle the prisoners correctly was undermining efforts to win international co-operation in the war on terror.

Pentagon officials say the April 14 letter was not a factor in the upcoming release, which they say was planned four weeks ago.

One official says between 20 to 30 prisoners will be released from the prison opened in January 2002 at the Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. He says he does not know what countries they are from.

Some 660 prisoners from 42 countries are being held, many captured during the war against al Qaida in Afghanistan. Officials have declined to identify them, their countries or any other details about them, including the exact number held.

Since the prison was opened, only 23 people are known to have been released. They were all men, including one who was mentally ill and another reported to be in his 70s.

Asked about the correspondence from Powell, Rumsfeld said prisoners must be questioned by several government agencies before they can be released and that it is a "very slow" process.

Story filed: 20:13 Monday 5th May 2003

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printed from Pentagon "Ready to Free Prisoners from Cuban Camp" on 2004-06-22 10:31:57