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US to take in up to 7 Uighur detainees: report

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] The US is planning on accepting into the country up to seven Chinese Uighur Muslims currently being held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center, according to the Los Angeles Times Saturday. Last month, Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters that the US would consider accepting the 17 Uighur detainees who have been cleared for release. The reported decision to accept the Uighurs, who would likely be settled in the country in small groups, drew strong criticism from politicians, including Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who released a statement condemning the move. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is still exploring where to transfer cleared detainees, and has declined to repatriate the Uighurs despite Chinese demands because they have been linked to a militant separatist group and could face torture upon their return. Earlier this month, the 17 Uighur detainees filed a petition for certiorari with the US Supreme Court, asking the Court to grant their release. In February the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit overruled an October district court order supporting the release of the Uighurs into the United states. The circuit court said that such a decision was reserved to either the executive or legislative branch. The US government has determined that the Uighurs are not unlawful enemy combatants, but have been linked with the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a militant group that calls for separation from China and has been a US-designated terrorist group since 2002.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on April 25, 2009 (boomark / email).