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Samson: Accepting Guantanamo Prisoners Is Security Risk for Slovakia
Tuesday 19 January 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, January 19 (TASR) - Accepting three prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility represents a potential security risk for Slovakia, security expert Ivo Samson told TASR on Tuesday.
"No one knows whether these people were serious criminals or terrorists, meaning that they are potential criminals and terrorists," said Samson in reaction to Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak's announcement that Slovakia will accept three prisoners.
Samson thinks that this decision has been made in accordance with the policies of the entire EU. "The Union levelled harsh criticism at the U.S. for operating such a prison and for keeping people there without any legal prosecution at all. As soon as the current American president (Barack Obama) decided to shut down Guantanamo and turned to his American allies for support, these countries had no choice but to accept the prisoners," he said.
According to Samson, if the prison were to be shut down, "democratic countries with the capacity to provide political asylum and security to prisoners are top of the list that should meet the United States halfway and accept these people".
Samson pointed to the attempted terrorist attack on an American aircraft travelling from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day. "It turned out that two released former Guantanamo prisoners were behind this attack, after all. It's a risk and I don't think that the Slovak authorities are currently able to decide whether or not these people are dangerous for society. That remains to be seen in the future - if they commit a crime," he said.
"According to the American judiciary, these people are suspected of being part of a terrorist network," said Samson in reaction to a statement that the three prisoners were unlawfully incarcerated in Guantanamo.
Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak said earlier that Slovakia is committing itself to the EU and U.S. bilateral proclamation on co-operation vis-a-vis the closure of Guantanamo, which was made on June 19, 2009. By this step, Slovakia is expressing its support to President Obama, who has introduced a new atmosphere into international relations. "We see it as a gesture of solidarity with an ally who is resolving a problem inherited from the past," stated Lajcak.
The U.S. Government asked EU-member states to find a place for people justifiably released from the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. These are prisoners for whom there is no reason to initiate a criminal prosecution but who can't return to their home countries for serious reasons, while they have expressed interest in finding a new permanent residence in EU countries.
The U.S. administration asked the EU for help in placing the prisoners after Obama announced his plans to close down the notorious prison in March 2009.
The EU supports the closure of the Guantanamo Bay facility, which is viewed as a symbol of the violation of human rights. The Union has authorised member states to accept uncharged prisoners, with France, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Hungary and Slovakia agreeing to do this so far.
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