Abu Wa’el Dhiab, a Syrian former Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder] detainee, on Saturday ended his 68-day hunger strike. Dhiab was among a number of former detainees who were resettled in Uruguay in an effort to close down the detention center [JURIST report]. He began a hunger strike in an effort to be unified with friends and family. As he was a suspected terrorist he was denied the right to return to his homeland due to fear of a security risk. His support group Vigilia por Diyab [Facebook page] announced the end of his hunger strike due to an agreement that will allow him to resettle in an undisclosed third country in order to allow him to reconnect with family.

Dhiab was hospitalized [JURIST report] in early September after hunger strike left him weak. In August Vice President Joe Biden stated at a press conference in Sweden that he hoped and expected [JURIST report] that the Guantanamo prison would be closed before President Barack Obama leaves office. Also in August the US Department of Defense announced the transfer [JURIST report] of 15 Guantanamo detainees to the United Arab Emirates.