Belgium takes in former detainee from Guantanamo Bay
By APFriday, October 9, 2009
Former Guantanamo detainee arrives in Belgium
BRUSSELS — The Belgian government says a former detainee of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay has arrived in the country where he will be granted residency.
The foreign ministry said Friday the released detainee “came to Belgium as a free man, where all necessary measures have been take to ensure a smooth integration in society.” It says the man arrived during the past week.
The United States plans to close down the Guantanamo facility, and is seeking new homes for inmates who have been cleared for release but are not able to go to their own country for fear of ill-treatment.
The government will give the man residency papers and a work permit. It does not give the former inmate’s nationality.
