Pentagon Interrupts Plan to Offer Coronavirus Vaccines to Guantánamo Bay Detainees, Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby said Saturday.
Driving the news: The Pentagon planned to vaccinate detainees on a voluntary basis, various media outlets reported earlier this week. The plan angered some Republicans, who “unforgivable and un-American. ”
What he says: “No Guantánamo prisoners have been vaccinated, ”Kirby tweeted.
- “We are interrupting the plan to move forward as we review the protocols for protecting the armed forces. We remain committed to our commitments to keep our troops safe.”
The big picture: It is unclear how many people on Guantánamo are infected with COVID-19.
- “Lack of vaccinations has been a major obstacle to resuming war crimes hearings at the base’s Camp Justice camp,” including those of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other defendants accused of assisting in carrying out the 11 attacks. September, the New York Times reported.
- About 40 prisoners are still being held in the Guantánamo Bay Military Prison, Cuba.
- President Biden said during his campaign that he supported the closure of the prison, but he offered no concrete plans on how he would do that.