The United States has repatriated Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi, a detainee of Guantánamo Bay, to Tunisia after more than twenty years in detention. The announcement was made by the Pentagon on Monday, following a thorough interagency review process, as mandated by Executive Order 13492 issued in 2009. You can read the Pentagon’s official announcement here.
Al-Yazidi, now 59, is identified as ISN 038 and was the last remaining Tunisian detainee at Guantánamo. He was captured near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks, making him one of the facility’s early inmates. Guantánamo has held a total of 12 Tunisian nationals, with the others already transferred either to Tunisia or other countries.
Accusations against al-Yazidi include being an al-Qaeda representative in Tunisia, engaging in combat in Bosnia, and forming connections with members of extremist groups, including al-Qaeda leaders like Osama bin Laden. These allegations, found in a 2007 assessment by the Joint Task Force Guantánamo, were often contested due to their reliance on potentially coerced testimonies. More details on this assessment can be accessed here.
In 2005, a Tunisian military court sentenced al-Yazidi in absentia under the 2003 Anti-Terrorism Law, charging him with involvement with a terrorist organization. The sentence included 20 years in prison and additional administrative supervision. Despite his transfer to Guantánamo, he was never prosecuted for war crimes, although he was considered dangerous during his detention. For further information on the Anti-Terrorism Law implications, visit this link.
As of this transfer, 26 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay. Of these, 14 have been cleared for transfer, three are under review, seven are involved in military commissions, and two have been convicted. The full information can be found in the Department of Defense’s news release.
To explore more nuances about this transfer and its implications, you can visit the full article.