Germany considering accepting Guantanamo detainees News
Germany considering accepting Guantanamo detainees

[JURIST] The German government is considering accepting detainees held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive], according to interviews [text] published this week by Der Spiegel magazine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel [official profile], Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle revealed a possible plan to accept the transfer of three inmates to Germany. While Germany has historically supported the closure of Guantanamo, the former interior minister opposed [UPI report] accepting detainees, citing security grounds. The new proposal, which may see detainees in Germany in the near future, has drawn criticism [Der Spiegel report] from members of the German coalition government.

Last month, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that three detainees had been transferred to the country of Georgia [JURIST report]. Also in March, two Uighur [JURIST news archive] Guantanamo detainees were transferred to Switzerland. The previous month, four detainees were transferred to Albania and Spain [JURIST report]. In December, Bulgaria [JURIST report] expressed a willingness to accept detainees. Other European countries that have accepted transfers include Latvia, Slovakia, and Belgium [JURIST reports]. The Obama administration failed to meet its January deadline [JURIST report] for closing the prison after running into several hurdles, including opposition from members of Congress and the suspension of detainee transfers to Yemen [JURIST report].

THIS DAY @ LAW

UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in Six Days' War

On November 22, 1967, the UN Security Council called for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied during the Six Days' War, and for respect of the right of all States in the area to "live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries." Read Resolution 242, which remains a cornerstone of efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East.

President Kennedy assassinated, VP Lyndon Johnson sworn inin

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Later that day, Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, was later tasked with leading a commission to investigate the assassination. President Johnson received the final report of the Warren Commission on September 24, 1964. Read the Warren Commission Report.