Three Guantanamo Prisoners Sent to Albania

By Besar Likmeta

The transfer of the three prisoners, Saleh bin Hadi Asasi, of Tunisian nationality; Sharif Fati Ali al Mishad, from Egypt; and Abdul Rauf Omar Mohammad Abu al Qusin, from Libya, was reached through separate agreements between Albania and the United States.

“This transfer is a result of the engagement of the Albanian government in backing the Obama administration’s policy to close the detention center in Guantanamo and transfer prisoners to friendly and safe third countries,” said the ministry in a statement.

Since 2006 Albania has accepted 11 former Guantanamo prisoners, all deemed innocent, who could not be repatriated to their home countries for fear of persecution.

According to Human Rights Watch, of nearly 200 inmates still in Guantanamo, about 60 of them cannot be returned to their home countries because they risk persecution at the hands of local authorities.