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Weeks before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, which
helped lead to the prison's opening, the 75 lawmakers sent a
letter calling the prison's continued operation a stain on the
country's reputation that undermines its ability to advocate for
human rights and the rule of law.
"We ask that as you take the steps necessary to finally close
the prison, you act immediately to further reduce its
population, ensure that the remaining detainees are treated
humanely, and increase the transparency of military commission
proceedings at Guantanamo," they wrote.
The signatories included the chairmen of the national securities
committees - Armed Services' Adam Smith, Foreign Affairs'
Gregory Meeks and Intelligence's Adam Smith, illustrating a
growing level of comfort in Congress for shutting the prison,
which costs millions of dollars to operate and decried by the
human rights community.
Opened under Republican President George W. Bush after the Sept.
11 attacks, the prison’s population peaked at about 800 inmates.
Democratic President Barack Obama whittled down the number, but
his effort to close the prison was stymied by opposition in
Congress from some of his fellow Democrats as well as
Republicans.
The Biden administration announced on July 19 that it had
repatriated its first detainee. The transfer reduced the
prisoner population to 39, most of whom have been held for
nearly two decades without being charged or tried.
Congress passed laws barring transfers of Guantanamo inmates to
prisons on the U.S. mainland. Democrats now control Congress,
but their majorities are so slim that changing the laws would be
difficult.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
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