Finland considers granting asylum to Guantánamo prisoners

Alexander Stubb

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Finland plans to consider whether or not to settle former prisoners that are to be released from the US prison camp in Guantánamo.
      The United States is closing the prison at the US military base on the south coast of Cuba, and is looking for a place to send more than 40 prisoners against whom no evidence of participation in terrorism has been found.
      Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Stubb (Nat. Coalition Party) discussed the Guantanamo issue at the end of a press conference on Wednesday.
     
Stubb said that the question of receiving the prisoners will probably be discussed on Friday, when the President and government convene at the first meeting of the foreign and security policy committee after the summer break.
      “No decisions will be made at the meeting - there will be just a short assessment of the situation”, Stubb said on Wednesday to Helsingin Sanomat.
     
The United States has been in contact with several European countries considering receiving the prisoners.
      “There have been contacts, but we have not yet had any official discussions with the government or the President”, Stubb says.
      According to unofficial assessments, it is fairly likely that Finland will offer asylum to a relatively small number of prisoners, all of whom will undergo a thorough background check.
     The European Union and the United States agreed in mid-June on cooperation in placing the prisoners, but each country will decide independently on the extent of its involvement.
     Seventeen of the prisoners are Uighurs, from China’s rebellious Xinjiang. Finding asylum for them has been difficult, with many countries fearing that China might take countermeasures against them.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finland could give refuge to freed Guantanámo inmates (23.1.2009)
  Finland turns down US request to give asylum to Chinese Muslims held in Guantanamo (26.8.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat