WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Two Chinese Uyghur detainees who have been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been transferred to Switzerland, the U.S. Justice Department said today.
China has demanded that the Uyghurs be returned there but the U.S. government has said it could not do so because they would face persecution and has searched for months for a nation willing to accept them.
"These detainees, who were subject to release from Guantanamo Bay as a result of court orders, had been approved for release by the prior administration, which determined that it would no longer treat them as enemy combatants," the Justice Department said in a statement.
China has demanded that the Uyghurs be returned there but the U.S. government has said it could not do so because they would face persecution and has searched for months for a nation willing to accept them.
"These detainees, who were subject to release from Guantanamo Bay as a result of court orders, had been approved for release by the prior administration, which determined that it would no longer treat them as enemy combatants," the Justice Department said in a statement.