The Pentagon announced Monday that the US has repatriated Guantánamo detainee Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi to Tunisia after more than two decades in detention.
Al-Yazidi, identified as ISN 038, was transferred to Tunisia after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin informed Congress on January 31, 2024, 11 months prior, about the agreement reached for his repatriation. His transfer followed a thorough interagency review process mandated by Executive Order 13492, issued in 2009.
Al-Yazidi, a 59-year-old Tunisian, is believed to be the last remaining Tunisian detainee at Guantánamo Bay. Of the 12 Tunisians who were detained at Guantánamo over the years, he is the only one still held there, with the others having been transferred to Tunisia or to third countries.
After being captured near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border following the September 11, 2001 attacks, al-Yazidi was assigned internment serial number 38 and became one of the first detainees held at Guantánamo when the facility opened in 2002 under then-president George W. Bush. According to a 2007 assessment by the Joint Task Force Guantánamo (JTF-GTMO), he was considered a representative of al-Qaeda in Tunisia, having been involved with the group in Afghanistan. Additionally, al-Yazidi fought in Bosnia and maintained extensive connections with several extremist groups, including high-ranking members of al-Qaeda, such as Osama bin Laden. The assessment further described him as a high-risk detainee. However, these assessments were repeatedly called into question by national security and intelligence agencies, as well as federal courts, due to their reliance on claims from other detainees, some of whom may have provided information under coercion or to curry favor.
In 2005, al-Yazidi was sentenced in absentia by a military court in Tunisia under the 2003 Anti-Terrorism Law for his involvement with a terrorist organization. The court issued a 20-year prison sentence, along with additional years of administrative surveillance and the revocation of his civil rights. Since his transfer to Guantánamo on January 11, 2002, al-Yazidi has been regarded as one of the most dangerous prisoners, known for his hostility toward prison guards. Under former president Barack Obama’s administration, al-Yazidi was placed on a list of detainees who could not be prosecuted for war crimes, making him eligible for release. However, his repatriation to Tunisia remained unresolved for years, as the security situation there was deemed unsuitable for his return. Despite this, al-Yazidi consistently refused to be transferred to any other country.
The Defense Department’s news release stated that 26 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay, with 14 cleared for transfer, three for review, seven involved in military commissions, and two convicted.
