Guantanamo Bay Prison Shut Down To Be Supervised By Washington Lawyer

Guantanamo Bay Prison Shut Down To Be Supervised By Washington Lawyer

Clifford Sloan was tasked by the administration of President Barack Obama to find a way of shutting down the prison at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The appointment of the Washington lawyer comes after a measure was passed by the House that supported the continued operation of the prison.

The appointment of Sloan was announced by the US State Department. It remains uncertain how Sloan will accomplish this objective. The appointment comes as a number of prisoners are currently staging a hunger strike.

A number of officials, including John F. Kerry, indicated that the prison at Guantanamo Bay has outlived its purpose. Continuing its operation will only encourage retaliation by terrorists. Although the Secretary of State indicated that it will be difficult to close the prison, he was confident of the capabilities of Sloan.

Sloan served both Republican and Democratic administrations in the past, having served under President Bill Clinton and President George H.W. Bush.

No timeline was available for the shutdown of the prison in Guantanamo Bay, a spokeswoman from the State Department indicated. Jennifer Psaki added that an envoy from the Pentagon will also be appointed later. However, the administration is committed in accomplishing the objective, and they are working toward its accomplishment.

The prison currently has 166 detainees, including some who are set to be returned to Yemen. However, the volatile situation in Yemen has postponed any transfer.

Last Friday, a $638 billion bill was approved by Congress. The bill also stops any attempts to close the prison. The bill was passed despite the veto threat by the president. A number of statements were issued by the State Department to gain support for Sloan, including one from a former Supreme Court Justice, John Paul Stevens.

For the moment, no statements were issued by Sloan in connection to upcoming task of trying to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday June 19 2013, 4:52 AM EST. Ref: LA Times. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0