Obama is about to leave office, but he still transfers prisoners from Guantanamo Bay prison.

(Baonghean.vn) - The White House plans to transfer more prisoners out of the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba before Donald Trump is sworn in as President on January 20. Trump has pledged to freeze prisoner transfers.

US soldiers guard a cell at Gitmo prison - a maximum security detention center. Photo: Getty.

On January 3 local time, the White House announced that it would continue to transfer prisoners out of the US military prison located at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

“At this point I expect there will be additional moves before January 20,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Outgoing US President Barack Obama will leave office on January 20 to make way for President-elect Donald Trump.

Before Earnest's comments, Trump declared on Twitter that “there should be no more releases from Gitmo.”

Responding directly to this opinion, Earnest said that Trump “will have the opportunity to implement the policy that he thinks is most effective when he takes office on January 20.”

There are currently 59 inmates at the detention center, of whom about 20 are set to be transferred elsewhere. A source familiar with the situation told Reuters that Obama plans to transfer another 18 inmates.

Finding countries that will accept these prisoners has been challenging and time-consuming. Most of those held in the prison have not been convicted. But it also holds alleged masterminds of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Shortly after taking office in January 2009, Obama called for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison. However, he was unable to do so during his presidency due to opposition from Congress. However, the number of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay has decreased significantly in recent years as prisoners have been transferred elsewhere or released.

The prison has been operating since 2002 as a temporary detention facility for what the US considers foreign terrorism suspects. The treatment of detainees has drawn international criticism, with critics calling the “enhanced interrogation” techniques torture.

Phu Binh

(According to AFP, Reuters)