Kenyan set for release after 15 years in Guantanamo Bay

Published: January 15, 2022

Guled Hassan Duran (left) and Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu
Image: CNN

The decisions come as the prison marked 20 years this week.

In Summary

•Bajabu has been held in the facility since 2007 while Duran since 2006.

•According to the CNN, the two were cleared for release, according to public documents.

A Kenyan Mohammed Malik Bajabu and Guled Hassan Duran, a Somali, are set to be released from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

The two from Somalia have been at the US detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for more than a decade.

Bajabu has been held in the facility since 2007 while Duran has been detained since 2006.

According to CNN, the two were cleared for release, according to public documents.

The decisions come as the prison marked 20 years this week since it was opened under the George W. Bush administration.

CNN reported that President Joe Biden has said publicly that he wants to close the detention facility and the National Security Council is undergoing a review of the facility “to determine the way forward.

Fifteen detainees have also been cleared for transfer by the Periodic Review Board.

Once a detainee is cleared he cannot leave the prison until the US government works out a diplomatic arrangement.

According to Department of Defense filings, Bajabu was a facilitator for al Qaeda before he was detained.

The Periodic Review Board noted that its decision to clear Bajabu for release was based on his low level of training and lack of leadership role in his pre-detention activities.

Duran is the first “high value” detainee to be cleared by the Periodic Review Board, his attorney told CNN.

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