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Leading human-rights groups accused President Barack Obama on Monday of not following through on a commitment to shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay, the controversial U.S.-run military detention center in Cuba that has seen a mass hunger strike among its detainees in recent months.
In a letter to the president, 16 human-rights and civil-liberties organizations expressed deep concern that he has failed to fulfill commitments he made during a major counterterrorism speechearlier this year to tackle the issue of the prison, where the vast majority of inmates are being held without charge or prospects of release even though many have been cleared to be transferred or set free.
“More than four months have passed since you delivered your May 23, 2013, speech at the National Defense University, in which you recommitted the United States to the goal of closing the Guantanamo prison,” read the four-page letter, which was signed by such groups as the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, the Center for Constitutional Rights and Human Rights Watch.
“However, despite your personal commitment and engagement, the population at Guantanamo over the past four months has been reduced by only two detainees, moving only from 166 to 164. Of the detainees who remain, 84 were cleared for transfer by national security officials more than four years ago,” the letter added.
Read more @: Human rights groups say Obama has failed on Guantanamo | Al Jazeera America
Although some minor progress has been made im deeply disappointed in this. I was excited in 2008 when he claimed he was going to close it and we got nothing. Then he made his big speech but only 2 detainees have been released to their home governments and this is deeply disappointing and disturbing. It seems Obama has put this back on the backburner.