Washington • Six detainees held at the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were transferred to Uruguay over the weekend, months after the South American country agreed to accept the men, the Pentagon announced Sunday.
The detainees included a Tunisian, a Palestinian and four Syrians who were captured in Pakistan and Afghanistan more than a decade ago and turned over to U.S. forces.
One of the men, Abu Wa'el Dhiab, who has been on a hunger strike, is at the center of litigation in federal court involving the possible release of videos showing him being force-fed.
The human rights organization Reprieve, which has represented Dhiab, said: "Despite years of suffering, Mr. Dhiab is focused on building a positive future for himself in Uruguay. He looks forward to being reunited with his family and beginning his life again."
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel initially was reluctant to approve the transfer. But he notified Congress in early July that the resettlement would take place in no fewer than 30 days. The administration is legally required to provide a 30-day notice to Congress of its intent to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo Bay.
By the time the United States was ready to move the men, a presidential election in Uruguay stalled the transfer. In November, former President Tabare Vazquez won a runoff vote, and the deal to accept the detainees was back on track.
Uruguayan President Jose "Pepe" Mujica, a former guerrilla who spent years behind bars, has called the Guantanamo Bay prison a disgrace. On Friday, his office released an open letter to President Barack Obama reiterating his willingness to accept detainees.
"We have offered our hospitality for human beings who suffered an atrocious kidnapping in Guantanamo," he said.
In an interview with The Washington Post in May, Mujica said that the prisoners would be considered refugees and that his government did not intend to monitor them.
The resettlement brings the total number of detainees held at the facility to 136.