White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters on Thursday that the United States transferred Guantanamo Bay detainee Majid Khan to Belize but did not say if additional transfers were scheduled.
President Joe Biden has taken steps to shutter the military facility at Guantanamo, and reporting Thursday suggested that Khan’s transfer could precipitate the transfer of the remaining detainees.
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“Today, we transferred Mr. Khan to Belize after he finished serving his sentence at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. Khan had entered a plea agreement in 2012, in which he pledged to cooperate with the U.S. government,” Jean-Pierre said during Thursday’s briefing when asked about the transfer. “Since that time, he has honored his cooperation commitment. I can say more broadly as it relates to the Guantanamo Bay and the president’s position on that, we remain dedicated to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population at Guantanamo Bay and ultimately closing the facility.”
“That is still where we stand. The Department of State is seeking to identify suitable onward transfer countries and negotiate transfer arrangements, including appropriate security and humane treatment assurances for the remaining eligible detainees,” she said. “I know there’s been reports on more detainees being transferred. I just don’t have anything to share there.”
Khan, a Pakistani national, was the sole legal U.S. resident being detained at Guantanamo Bay. He was apprehended by Pakistani authorities and handed over to the CIA while visiting his home country in 2003 and would go on to plead guilty in 2012 to conspiracy and 11 murder counts relating to a 2003 hotel bombing in Indonesia.
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You can watch Thursday’s briefing in full below.
