RIYADH, 21 December 2006 — Saudi Arabia has freed 11 former Guantanamo Bay detainees after they completed their jail sentences, the Interior Ministry said yesterday.
It said the men were among 29 Saudis handed over this year by the United States from the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
“The cases of the rest of the accused are still under review until a final ruling is issued,” the ministry said in a statement carried on state media. Last week, 16 Saudis held at the naval base returned home and the Kingdom said it would continue efforts to seek the return of other Saudi citizens, but did not say how many remained in US custody at the controversial prison.
Many of the men held at Guantanamo Bay were captured in Afghanistan in the US-led war to oust the Taleban after the Sept. 11 attacks. Many have been held for years and nearly all are being held without charge.
