The US Government has revealed that the number of detainees it expects to be given a trial at Guantanamo has fallen to a new low, with a maximum of just seven more of the remaining 122 people being held at the prison expected to face charges.<\/p>\n
Although a total of 779 detainees have been held in Guantanamo since it opened in 2002, just ten of those still at the prison are currently undergoing prosecution or serving sentences handed down by quasi-judicial military commissions. A further eight detainees have been convicted and released, although three of those have since been cleared on appeal.<\/p>\n
This means that of the 779 people to have been held at the prison over its lifetime, a maximum of just 25 have faced or are ever expected to face any kind of trial process \u2014 that is, just 3%.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s estimate by the US Government \u2014 reported by the Miami Herald<\/em> \u2014 also marks a further reduction in the number of detainees it expects to try \u2014 a figure which has now been revised down twice since it was set by the Obama Task Force in 2010.<\/p>\n Commenting, Kat Craig, legal director at international human rights NGO Reprieve<\/strong>said: \u201cToday \u2014 after many men have been languishing in Guantanamo for over 13 years without charge or trial \u2014 we learn that a maximum of just 3% will ever have their case heard. The rest will continue to rot in unbearable conditions \u2014 having never been convicted of any crime nor received any vindication. \u00a0800 years after Magna Carta established the right to a fair trial, this is a stark reminder of how the most basic principles of justice have been abandoned at Guantanamo.\u201d<\/p>\n 1. For further information, please contact Katherine O\u2019Shea at Reprieve US: +1 917 855 8064<\/a> \/ katherine.oshea@reprieve.org<\/a> \u00a0or Donald Campbell at Reprieve UK:donald.campbell@reprieve.org. 2. For today\u2019s figures, see \u2018Pentagon envisions up to 7 more Guant\u00c3\u00a1namo trials<\/a>,\u2019 Miami Herald<\/em>, March 27 2015<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n