WASHINGTON, May 18 (UPI) -- The United States Tuesday allowed annual review of prisoners detained at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility in Cuba.
The Pentagon issued the review order Tuesday along with new procedures for Guantanamo Bay prisoners. The order becomes effective immediately.
The United States is holding about 600 prisoners at this facility, most of them arrested in Afghanistan.
Under the new procedures, each prisoner can appear before a board of three military officers and explain why he believes he should be released. A military officer will assist him.
The review board will also accept written information from the family and national government of the prisoner.
Based on this information, and reports from U.S. agencies, the board will assess the current threat posed by the detainee. It will then recommend to a senior Defense Department official whether the detainee should remain in prison.
The final decision will be taken by the official who will be selected by the secretary of defense.
The release of enemy combatants prior to the end of a war is a significant
departure from past U.S. wartime practices. They are normally detained till the end of the conflict to prevent them from returning to the fight.
