US repatriates 2 Malaysian nationals from Guantanamo Bay following 18 years

(MENAFN) The United States has repatriated two Malaysian nationals, Mohamad Farik Amin and Mohammed Nazir Lep, to Kuala Lumpur after holding them at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility for 18 years. The two men were arrested in Thailand in 2003 in connection with the 2002 Bali bombings, which resulted in the deaths of 202 people. The Malaysian government confirmed their return, with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail facilitating the process.

During their detention, neither Amin nor Lep faced a trial. The US Department of Defense clarified that both men had pled guilty before a Military Commission to several offenses, including murder in violation of the law of war, intentionally causing serious injury, conspiracy, and destruction of property. The charges stemmed from their involvement in the bombing, although they were not tried in a civilian court.

The repatriation follows a notification last month from US Secretary of Defense Austin to Congress, expressing his intent to return the detainees to Malaysia. The repatriation is part of ongoing efforts to reduce the number of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, where 27 individuals remain. Of these, 15 are eligible for transfer, three are awaiting a Periodic Review Board, seven are involved in military commissions, and two have been convicted and sentenced.

Additionally, the Pentagon confirmed the repatriation of Mohammed Abdul Malik Bajabu from Guantanamo Bay to Kenya, after he spent more than 17 years in detention without charge.

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