NEW YORK, July 22 (RIA Novosti) - A US judge rejected former Guantanamo prisoner Djamel Ameziane’s claim to get his money back upon his release, the Miami Herald reported.
According to the seven-page opinion by US District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle published in the Miami Herald, “Upon his repatriation to Algeria, the US Department of Defense (DOD) returned to petitioner all of the personal property he had at the time of his capture or later acquired at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, with the exception of 740 British pounds, 429,000 Afghanis, and 2,300 Pakistani rupees seized from petitioner at the time of his capture.”
Djamel Ameziane’s claim to get the equivalent of about $9,000 back was rejected. The DOD justified its policy to detain the money based on “a strong national security interest in preventing these funds from being used in a manner that would adversely impact the safety and security of the United States,” the opinion stated.
Guantanamo Bay, located in Cuba, is largely seen as an illegal concentration camp operating as a United States military base. People are often held there for years without being charged.
There are various known cases of torture of Guantanamo prisoners, which have been condemned by international organizations and human rights groups.
Amnesty International, United Nations and the European Union have requested the closure of Guantanamo Bay.
Back in 2009 Barack Obama vowed to close Guantanamo Bay within a year. Five years on, the prison is still operating.
