A group of US senators on Jan. 13 proposed legislation (PDF [7]) that would place a moratorium on the release or transfer of prisoners from Guantánamo Bay. Republican Senators Kelly Ayotte [8] (NH), John McCain [9] (AZ), Lindsey Graham [10] (SC) and Richard Burr [11] (NC) touted [12] the new bill as the best course of action to protect US national security. The act, titled "The Detaining Terrorists to Protect America Act of 2015," would halt all releases of Guantánamo detainees with high or medium risk ratings, issue more prohibitions ontransfers and provide more transparency on how detainees' risk levels are determined. Ayotte stated, "It's clear that we need a 'time out' so that we do not re-confront the terrorists that we had captured and are currently in Guantánamo." The new legislation will place pressure on the White House as the Obama administration released [13] 28 prisoners from Guantánamo in 2014.
From Jurist [14], Jan. 14. Used with permission.
