US frees Moroccan prisoner held over 13 years at Guantanamo

[webfact]

US frees Moroccan prisoner held over 13 years at Guantanamo
By BEN FOX

MIAMI (AP) — Another Guantanamo Bay prisoner has been released as part of the drawn-out U.S. effort to wind down and eventually close the detention center at the U.S. base in Cuba, officials said Thursday.

Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri was sent to his native Morocco after more than 13 years in custody at Guantanamo. His release, which followed an intensive security review and notification of Congress as required by law, was the first from the prison since June.

The human rights group Reprieve, whose lawyers represented Chekkouri while he was in U.S. custody, expressed concern that he was not immediately released upon arrival in Morocco as expected. It was not clear how long he would be held by local authorities but prisoners released from Guantanamo in the past have spent several days to weeks undergoing medical checks and investigations before being freed by their own governments.

A representative of the organization talked with a brother of Chekkouri who reported the former prisoner "sounded OK and in good spirits," Reprieve attorney Cori Crider said.

"We are very happy to work with the Moroccans to get our client back on his feet," Crider said. "I just want to make sure that he's not held for an extended period of time."

Chekkouri, 47, was captured by Pakistan in December 2001 as he fled Afghanistan with other suspected al-Qaida fighters and was turned over to the United States. He has been held at Guantanamo since May 2002.

Military documents show he was believed to have been an associate of Osama bin Laden and to have run al-Qaida training camps in Afghanistan. The U.S. never charged him with a crime and he had been cleared for release by the Guantanamo Review Task Force since January 2010.

Chekkouri kept a low profile at Guantanamo. He took part in the mass hunger strike in 2013 but not for an extended period. He spent most of his time in the communal areas of the detention center, reserved for detainees deemed the "most compliant" by military authorities.

"It was basically his view that if he just kept his head down and was really nice to everybody that surely they would see that he wasn't a bad guy and let him go," Crider said. "It's a shame that it took almost 14 years."

His release reduces the prison's population to 115, down by more than half since President Barack Obama took office and pledged to close the prison.

A review board on Thursday announced that it had approved the release of Faez Kandari, the last Kuwaiti at Guantanamo, to a rehabilitation center in his country. Earlier this month, it also approved the release of Omar Khalifa Mohammed Abu Bakr, one of four remaining Libyans at the prison. That brings the total cleared and awaiting final approval for release to 53.

U.S. officials have recently said they are looking for potential sites inside the U.S. to hold Guantanamo prisoners but would need Congress to lift a ban on transferring them to the United States.

-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-18

[DLang]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

[CMNightRider]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

I'm sure Younis is certainly looking forward to training future terrorists.

"The American Military-Industrial Complex"? Where do you get silly ideas like this? I doubt if you will share where you are from but it would be interesting to know.

Younis Abdurrahman (camel breath) is nothing more than vermin. I hope the fleas of a thousand camels infests his nostrils.

[Credo]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

I'm sure Younis is certainly looking forward to training future terrorists.

"The American Military-Industrial Complex"? Where do you get silly ideas like this? I doubt if you will share where you are from but it would be interesting to know.

Younis Abdurrahman (camel breath) is nothing more than vermin. I hope the fleas of a thousand camels infests his nostrils.

What a lack of compassion. I don't know any fleas that deserve that.

[Happy Grumpy]

"The American Military-Industrial Complex"? Where do you get silly ideas like this?

Probably from 5 Star General and ex-Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe and Ex-President of the USA, President Dwight Eisenhower.

Good luck to this man.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Happy Grumpy

[NickJ]

He should have been freed three days after being captured.......In a line against a wall.

[Andrew65]

They released a British Muslim guy from there some years ago, caught him again in Afghanistan or Pakistan, doing more "humanitarian" work.

The liberal-lefties are probably still in raptures over that one.

[Seastallion]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

I'm sure Younis is certainly looking forward to training future terrorists.

Yep, and I don't blame him one bit.

Held on suspicion only for nearly 14 years, the last five of which they had already decided he can go free....Of course he will bear a grudge.

[yellowboat]

".The U.S. never charged him with a crime and he had been cleared for release by the Guantanamo Review Task Force since January 2010." Held 13 years without charge ? A bit of an affront to US rule of law.

[Seastallion]

".The U.S. never charged him with a crime and he had been cleared for release by the Guantanamo Review Task Force since January 2010." Held 13 years without charge ? A bit of an affront to US rule of law.

A bit of an affront to the prisoners too!

[Thaidream]

The whole Guantanamo episode will not go down in American and World History well and will be viewed for what it is- a huge illegal mistake on the part of successive American administrations. It will be judged in the the same way as slavery the treatment of Native Americans; and the use of detention centers for Japanese,Americans during World War II. I cannot imagine a worse scenario than picking up people from not only a battlefield but walking down the street; blindfolding them; and then spiriting them away to a detention center. There is never any due process; never a trial; never presentation of evidence; and no release date until someone decides they don't have enough evidence to convict the person or they made a mistake In addition, holding these people in a country that America considers a huge violator of human rights is the ultimate hypocrisy. They did this on purpose, knowing that if held in the United States- due process would have to prevail.

President Obama could end this hypocrisy right now but he lacks guts to do the right thing. Do I believe some people held in Guantanamo are terrorists. I do. However, the majority were not and held on suspicion. This whole episode is against the traditions of American justice and our constitution..The terrorist took many lives on that fateful day which will live in infamy. However, this type of response by America has brought huge Worldwide criticism and derision Let's end this travesty now.

[wabothai]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

I'm sure Younis is certainly looking forward to training future terrorists.

"The American Military-Industrial Complex"? Where do you get silly ideas like this? I doubt if you will share where you are from but it would be interesting to know.

Younis Abdurrahman (camel breath) is nothing more than vermin. I hope the fleas of a thousand camels infests his nostrils.

You seem to know him well. Were you his cell mate? better wipe your nose.

[Peabody]

".The U.S. never charged him with a crime and he had been cleared for release by the Guantanamo Review Task Force since January 2010." Held 13 years without charge ? A bit of an affront to US rule of law.

Obviously, they hate AmeriCo for it's freedom.

[i claudius]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

Yes i am sure he will get on with his life ,by going back to terrorism , like most of those already released have .

[Happy Grumpy]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

Yes i am sure he will get on with his life ,by going back to terrorism , like most of those already released have .

Of course invading a country, taking the people that fight you away, refusing to abide by any PoW or human right laws, torturing and locking them away without any charges for nearly one and a half decades in a prison camp, continuing to do so for years after they were already cleared for release, this isn't terrorism....

[i claudius]

Well done.

The American Military-Industrial Complex = The great terrorists on Earth.

Hopefully Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri can now get on with his life.

Yes i am sure he will get on with his life ,by going back to terrorism , like most of those already released have .

Of course invading a country, taking the people that fight you away, refusing to abide by any PoW or human right laws, torturing and locking them away without any charges for nearly one and a half decades in a prison camp, continuing to do so for years after they were already cleared for release, this isn't terrorism....

Not bothered,fight terrorists with terror,not liberal lefty PC rubbish

[Happy Grumpy]

fight terrorists with terror

That's what they are doing.

[h90]

He should have been freed three days after being captured.......In a line against a wall.

If he is guilty, yes.

If he is not guilty than not.

Holding in a prison and don't determine if he is guilty or not is just crazy. If he is guilty he should be hold there. If not he should be released 13 years ago.

Holding him without any plan and randomly release someone is normally only happening in African Dictatorships.