Swiss government accepts Guantánamo victim

Bern has decided to accept – on humanitarian grounds – an Uzbek citizen currently imprisoned at the in famous Guantánamo Bay detention camp, which US President Barack Obama has promised to dismantle. Although the arrival date has yet to be made public, the man will make his new home in canton Geneva.

Amnesty International spokesman, Daniel Graf welcomed the decision. “We were really waiting a long time for this, because Switzerland was the first county which said it would help. We are very glad that the government is walking the walk,” he said.

The imprisoned Uzbeki was classified by the US as "cleared for release" in 2005. Since then, his ultimate destination has been in limbo – American policy prevents the prisoner from settling in the US which led Washington to call on other nations to take in the detainees.

“He could have been transferred to his home country but it wasn’t safe for him to go back,” added Graf.

Silvia Bär, of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party told Swisster: “We are concerned because we feel that the US should solve their own problems with the prisoners, so that’s a critique of our own federal government.”

“They also said that they didn’t get anything out of the deal with the US, which is worse.”

However, she clarified that the party is not intending to take any political action over the issue.

In a press release on Wednesday, Bern said Washington has “assured Switzerland that the man has been neither prosecuted nor convicted, and that he constitutes no danger to public safety”.

Acceptance of the detainee is based on “detailed enquiries by an interdepartmental working group, which had access to comprehensive documentation from the US authorities”, said the press release.

A group delegation was sent to Guantánamo last August, which spoke at length with the man and had him examined by a Swiss doctor.

After discussions with the delegation, the Uzbeki submitted a written application for transfer to Switzerland.

The man also confirmed that he had not been involved in past terrorist activity and would not participate in any illegal activities in the future.

He undertook to respect Swiss law, learn a relevant language and find work. Canton Geneva accepted a request from Bern to welcome the man.

The Swiss government has criticized the detention of persons at Guantánamo as a violation of international law.

Those who were innocent, such as the man arriving in Switzerland, suffered under conditions that were little removed from those experienced by suspected terrorists, according to Amnesty.

“We think that they were not as isolated in custody, but still remained under harsh conditions,” said Graf.

“They were protected from mistreatment because they were cleared but still, they had no contact with their relative and families, and no visitors were allowed.”

Meanwhile several other European countries, such as Belgium, France, Ireland, Portugal and Hungary have already accepted former Guantánamo prisoners. “Switzerland was not the first, and hopefully not the last,” said Graf.

Swiss justice minister, Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, a former member of the Swiss People’s Party has stated the government’s willingness to consider further arrivals from Guantánamo, a gesture dependent on the agreement of individual cantons.