Obama Orders Gitmo Closed Within Year

[unhappycamper]

Obama Orders Gitmo Closed Within Year
January 22, 2009
Miami Herald

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVY BASE, Cuba -- President Barack Obama's administration struggled with the legacy of Guantanamo in its first full day in office Wednesday, freezing court cases from the prison camps to Washington while circulating a presidential order to empty the camps within a year.

All the moves were designed to buy time to study the cases of each of the 245 or so war-on-terrorism captives held for up to seven years -- and decide who should be tried elsewhere, and who should be freed.

Under the unsigned draft Executive Order, obtained by The Miami Herald, the detention facilities "shall be closed as soon as practicable and no later than one year from the date of this order."

Reports from Washington say Obama is expected to sign the order Thursday.

Closure of the facilities should be accomplished by a study aimed at identifying candidates for federal prosecution, repatriation, release, transfer to a third country or to the United States.


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/news/article/obama-orders-gitmo-closed-within-year.html