[JURIST] The Obama Administration confirmed Wednesday in a press briefing [transcript] that they are drafting a plan to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder] before President Barack Obama’s [official profile] time in office runs out. President Obama has been promising since his inception as President to close the prison. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest [official profile] delivered the briefing, in which he said that closing the prison is in the national security interest of the US. Once the plan is fully drafted, it will be presented to Congress for approval. Of the 779 prisoners that have been held at Guantanamo since its opening, 653 have been released or transferred [advocacy backgrounder], 121 of which were released under the Obama Administration.

The acceleration of the closure of Guantanamo Bay announced [JURIST report] by the Obama administration in December is a part of the administration’s attempt to fulfill campaign promises made by Obama in 2008. The Department of Defense [official website] announced the repatriation [JURIST report] of four Guantanamo Bay detainees to Afghanistan in December. In November five detainees were released [JURIST report] to their respective home countries of Georgia and Slovakia. Also in November the Pentagon announced the release [JURIST report] of Fouzi Khalid Abdullah Al Awda from the detention facilities after nearly 13 years of imprisonment without a trial.