PR Worries Stalled Release of Gitmo Inmates

A 2006 memo from the State Department to the U.S. Transportation Command suggested holding Guantanamo detainees after they had been cleared in order to avoid bad press. “Got it ... Thank you,” was the reply, and indeed, no prisoners flew out of Guantanamo for three months.

“Proposing to hold men for a month and a half after they were deemed releasable is inexcusable,” said a lawyer with one of the groups that released the memo.

AP via Google:

WASHINGTON — As the U.S. was accused of human rights abuses, a State Department official advised the military to delay sending Guantanamo Bay prisoners home in order to avoid more bad publicity.

“We need to definitely think about checking ... to see if we can hold off on return flights for 45 days or so until things die down,” according to the 2006 e-mail. “Otherwise we are likely to have hero’s welcomes awaiting the detainees when they arrive.”

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