Four Uighurs at Gitmo Released to Bermuda

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 11:58:13 AM EST
Tags: Uighurs, Guantanamo (all tags)

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Good news out of Guantanamo Bay today: Four of the Chinese Uighurs being held there have been moved to Bermuda where they will live and be free.

Bermuda's prime minister, Ewart Brown, said the men would be allowed to live in the self-governing British territory, first as refugees. Brown said they would be allowed to pursue citizenship and would have the right to work, travel and "potentially settle elsewhere".

Brown said negotiations with Washington over taking in the Uighurs began last month and he had no security concerns because the men had been cleared by US courts.

What a great place to resettle. It's beautiful, clean and, civilized. Major props to the island's Government for accepting them. [More...]

Abdul Nasser, one of the four detainees who landed in Bermuda today, issued a statement through his lawyers, saying: "Growing up under communism we always dreamed of living in peace and working in a free society like this one. Today you have let freedom ring."

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Four Uighurs at Gitmo Released to Bermuda | 11 comments (11 topical)

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We should have (none / 0) (#1)
by koshembos on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 01:53:41 PM EST

released them in the USA where the claim is that freedom rings all day. The chicken littles in congress shouldn't have changed Obama's mind.

: Why? (none / 0) (#2)
by Inspector Gadget on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 01:57:33 PM EST

They were cleared by the courts. Why shouldn't they live where they are welcomed?

[ Parent ]

Agree they should've had the option (none / 0) (#3)
by otherlisa on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 02:13:19 PM EST

to live in the US, where there is a well-established Uighur community. But Bermuda looks like a decent option. Much better than the Uighurs who ended up in Albania, of all places.

I hope they get the support they need, and I hope they finally get to live decent, free lives.

Tough break (none / 0) (#4)
by Steve M on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 02:17:13 PM EST

I'm sure these guys are totally bummed that they couldn't get into the US and had to settle for Bermuda!

I guess all the right-wing bloggers will have to cancel their vacations to Bermuda now, though.

If they can find work... (none / 0) (#5)
by kdog on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 02:29:34 PM EST

I'm sure they will be much happier in Bermuda...I gotta think its hard for semi-skilled labor to find work in Bermuda.

Employment wise they'd probably be better off in the US, though they'd probably get no peace here if their identities got out. The Gitmo scarlet letter of guilt.

[ Parent ]

Attorneys for the four Muslim men, who were held (none / 0) (#7)
by sarcastic unnamed one on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 02:36:47 PM EST

Attorneys for the four Muslim men, who were held for seven years before being cleared by U.S. authorities as terrorism suspects, said they will take part in Bermuda's foreign guest worker program.

[ Parent ]

: Cool... (none / 0) (#9)
by kdog on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 03:53:19 PM EST

they say how to get on that guest worker list? I could deal with Horseshoe Beach every weekend:)

[ Parent ]

Hmmm.... (none / 0) (#6)
by otherlisa on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 02:36:38 PM EST

Another good reason to vacation in Bermuda!

[ Parent ]

Uighurs aren't the point (none / 0) (#8)
by diogenes on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 03:45:22 PM EST

After all, even if guilty, they aren't the enemies of the US but of China. What does this do to aid the release of the other GITMO inmates who, if guilty, are the enemies of the US?

Snark ahead (none / 0) (#10)
by Linkmeister on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 05:10:55 PM EST

Palau, Bermuda: what's the relocation cost of these folks going to be once these islands are threatened by the rise of the oceans?

From Bermuda (none / 0) (#11)
by bermyboy on Thu Jun 11, 2009 at 07:49:59 PM EST

The Premier of Bermuda, Dr. Brown had no right to engage in such an arrangement. This island has one of the highest per-capita populations per square mile in the world and can ill afford to go offering asylum and status to political refugees. There are guest workers who have been here many years already and have contributed greatly to the community and are ineligible for status. To take on these 4, regardless of their background, is pretty irresponsible, but that is pretty much par for the course with this government.

We have enough problems of our own and really do not need to be taking on the problems of much larger and powerful governments.

Thanks.