Two detainees from the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba are being transferred to Serbia, the State Department announced, expressing gratitude to Serbia for its "generous assistance."
"The US is grateful to Serbia for offering the humanitarian transfer of two detainees from US detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba," the State Department points out.
The US Department of Defense announced today the transfer of Tajik citizen Muhamadi Davlatov and Yemeni citizen Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dafi, according to the statement.
The US, it added, greatly appreciates Serbia's generous assistance at a time when the US continues its efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
"This significant humanitarian gesture is in line with Serbia's leadership role on the global stage," states the State Department.
This is the first time that detainees from Guantánamo are being sent to Serbia, where 76 detainees will remain after this transfer.
The State Department notes that each transfer was unanimously approved by the ministries and agencies of the US government, and that Serbia joined the group of 30 countries that since 2009 have provided the possibility of transfer for over 100 detainees.
The US Department of Defense stated in a separate statement that the US coordinated with the government of Serbia so that the transfer was in accordance with security measures and the humane treatment of prisoners.
The New York Times writes that these are the first detainees from Guantánamo who were transferred to Serbia, after which 76 detainees remained in custody at the military base in Cuba, of which 27 are on the transfer list.
The two who were transferred to Serbia were captured at the end of 2001 during the war in Afghanistan and handed over to the US Army, which held them in custody without trial for more than 14 years, writes the New York daily, which lists different names of the detainees than the US government announced.
According to the New Yorker, the Yemeni detainee was once "probably a low-level fighter associated with Al Qaeda," but changed his mind in prison, learned English and completed the courses needed to earn a high school diploma.
Since 2012, he has mostly complied with detention rules, the newspaper said.
The other is a citizen of Tajikistan who has been awaiting transfer since 2009, when the detention authorities decided he posed a low enough threat to be transferred to a safe country. He remained in Guantanamo because it was determined that he could not be safely returned to his country, writes the New York Times.
Two prisoners from Guantánamo have arrived in Montenegro so far.
In June, the American government transferred another prisoner from Guantánamo to Montenegro.
His name is Abdel Malik Abdel Wahab al-Rahabi and he is a citizen of Yemen.
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