Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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November 25, 2008

Bin Laden's Driver Heads Home to Yemen
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=2096FD1:A6F02AD83191E1607794C5E7BE51FA0A7F0EB4B66EA3A89D&
 
Salim Hamdan cleared of more serious charge of being part of al-Qaida
conspiracy to attack US; will serve remainder of sentence in Yemen 
2008 file photograph of sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin,
reviewed by U.S. Military, of defendant Salim Ahmed Hamdan U.S. media
reports say Osama bin Laden's former driver, Salim Hamdan, currently
being held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, is being
transferred to his home country of Yemen. A Guantanamo military jury in
August sentenced Hamdan to five years and six months in prison for
supporting terrorism. That sentence amounted to five months, taking into
account time served. The media reports quote unnamed senior defense
officials, who say Hamdan will serve the remainder of his sentence in
Yemen. Hamdan was cleared of the more serious charge of being part of
al-Qaida's conspiracy to attack the United States. A Pentagon spokesman
did not deny or confirm the reports of the move. Meanwhile, a lawyer for
17 Chinese Muslims held in Guantanamo for seven years asked a federal
court to release the men into the United States. Last month, the U.S.
Court of Appeals in Washington blocked a federal judge's order of the
immediate release of the men into the U.S. until a hearing on an appeal
filed by the government. The United States has denied Beijing's requests
to repatriate the men, saying they could be tortured if they are
returned - a fear Beijing says is unfounded. China's Foreign Ministry
says the men belong to the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a separatist
organization considered a terrorist group by China, The U.S. and the
United Nations. The 17 detainees are Uighurs, a mostly Muslim minority
group from China's far-western Xinjiang region. The men were cleared for
release as early as 2003. But the Bush administration has not been able
to find a third country willing to accept them.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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