AN IRISH delegation, including officials from the Department of Justice, will travel to the Guantánamo Bay detention centre next week to interview two Uzbek detainees about their possible resettlement in Ireland.
One of the two is understood to be Oybek Jamoldinivich Jabbarov (31).
For the past year, Amnesty International has lobbied the Government to accept Mr Jabbarov for resettlement here.
He has been cleared for release but remains at Guantánamo because he cannot return to Uzbekistan for fear of torture and persecution.
Mr Jabbarov was living with his elderly mother and pregnant wife as refugees in northern Afghanistan when he was captured in 2001. He was later transferred to Guantánamo.
The Uzbek had not been involved in fighting between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance, his Boston-based lawyer Michael Mone told a US congressional committee hearing in May 2008, and was most likely handed over for a bounty.
The Government has stated it is willing to accept two detainees for resettlement to assist in efforts to shut the controversial detention facility.
“The Government is continuing to liaise with US authorities regarding fulfilling our undertaking to help close the detention centre at Guantánamo Bay,” a spokesman for the Department of Justice said.
The Irish Timesunderstands the two Uzbeks will be granted leave to remain in Ireland.
“We’re very pleased to see the Government taking concrete action on its commitment to take two of these men,” said Colm O’Gorman, director of Amnesty International’s Irish branch.