JURIST - Paper Chase: Spain accepts second Guantanamo detainee

[JURIST] Spain Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos [official profile] announced Tuesday that the country has accepted [statement, PDF; in Spanish] its second Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainee. The man, a Yemeni citizen, arrived in Spain Tuesday and will be given residency and work permits. This is the second of five detainees that Spain has agreed to accept [JURIST report]. Spain had previously agreed [JURIST report] to accept only two detainees, one Yemeni and one Palestinian, in response to a June request [AFP report] by the Obama administration. The first Guantanamo detainee, a Palestinian, was transferred [JURIST report] to Spain in February.

The Obama administration continues its push to close the Guantanamo Bay facility, despite missing its self-imposed one-year deadline in January. The administration has run into several hurdles in closing the prison, including opposition from members of Congress and the suspension of detainee transfers to Yemen [JURIST report]. Spain is part of a growing list of countries that have recently accepted transfers, including Latvia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Afghanistan, Palau, Bermuda, Algeria, and Somaliland [JURIST reports].

3:50 PM ET - The US Department of Defense [official website] has announced that a second detainee was transferred Monday to Bulgaria [press release].