MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Aamer, 46, was imprisoned in 2002 on suspicion of being linked to al-Qaeda but has never been charged or tried. In January 2015, 33 prominent British doctors warned about the rapidly deteriorating physical and mental health of the UK resident.
"The US Government has notified Congress of this decision and once that notice period has been concluded, Mr Aamer will be returned to the UK," the government spokesman said as quoted by the BBC.
The Guantanamo prison was established in 2002 in the wake of 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Ever since, the military prison has been the subject of criticism by human rights advocates, as former detainees described the inhumane conditions of their imprisonment, including the use of torture.
Obama has repeatedly vowed to close the facility, but has never fulfilled the promise. There are currently 122 detainees held in Guantanamo Bay.