US transfers Guantanamo Bay detainee to Belize, 34 prisoners remain

WASHINGTON (AA) – The US has transferred former Guantanamo Bay detainee Majid Khan to the small Central American nation of Belize, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

Khan pleaded guilty in a military court in 2012 to terrorism offenses related to his role as an al-Qaeda courier and was sentenced to more than 10 years of confinement. He was detained by the US in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and imprisoned at the notorious military prison in Cuba.

In 2021, he told a US court about the torture he endured at the hands of the CIA, saying he was subjected to “days of painful abuse” at the agency’s international black sites.

Khan’s case marked the first time a high-profile Guantanamo detainee testified in court about enduring the US intelligence community’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques, a program that has been a black stain on the CIA and widely condemned as torture.

Khan is a Pakistani national who was born in Saudi Arabia. His family moved to the US in the 1990s and was granted asylum.

He pleaded guilty in 2012 to a host of crimes, including murder and attempted murder. A military judge ruled in 2021 that a jury could grant the former al-Qaeda operative a more lenient sentence due to the torture he sustained.

“Today, I feel like I am reborn. I have reentered the world. I am a free man. I am beginning a new life in a new country and a new culture. It’s all new to me, and I have a lot to learn,” Khan said in a statement distributed by his attorneys.

“I have been given a second chance in life and I intend to make the most of it. I deeply regret the things that I did many years ago, and I have taken responsibility and tried to make up for them. I continue to ask for forgiveness from God and those I have hurt. I am truly sorry,” he added.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin informed Congress of his intent to transfer Khan to Belize on Dec. 22, the Pentagon said in a statement.

“The United States appreciates the willingness of the Government of Belize and other partners to support ongoing U.S. efforts focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo Bay facility,” it added.

In all, 34 prisoners remain at Guantanamo Bay, including 20 who are eligible for transfer, according to the Defense Department. An additional three are eligible for a hearing before a governmental board while nine are in military court proceedings. The remaining two have been convicted in a military court.