"He's [Obama] really moving in the right direction, he needs to carry on urgently releasing these men approved for release," British author Andy Worthington, co-founder of the Close Guantanamo Campaign and co-director of the We Stand with Shaker Campaign, which calls to release the last United Kingdom detainee Shaker Aamer from Guantanamo told Sputnik.
In 2009, President Obama signed an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay and described the detention facility as a "sad chapter in American history." However, the Cuban prison site remains open today.
"His [Obama's] big obstacle is that Congress refuses every year to allow him the money to move prisoners to the US mainland, they won't allow him to do that and he has to do that if he's going to close the facilities," Worthington said.
"Based on the recent momentum of transfers, it's promising, it looks like President Obama is recommitted to closing the prison we can only hope that he is but there is a long road ahead, Hussain told Sputnik.
"In addition to transferring cleared men there is an indefinite detention category that is supposed to go through the periodic review board process, which currently is moving at a glacial pace, so that needs to pick up and all men that the government intends to try should be given fair trials," Hussain said.
Since November, the United States has released 28 Guantanamo detainees to countries including Afghanistan, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia and Kazakhstan, leaving 127 prisoners left at the detention facility. Some have even remained at the prison for years despite having been cleared for release.
On Sunday, dozens of demonstrators staged a march from the White House to the US Department of Justice to remind President Obama of the 2009 promise to close Guantanamo Bay prison. Sunday marked the 13th anniversary of the prisoners, remaining at the facility.
