A judge ordered the release of five Algerians

Five Algerians detained in Guantanamo were released following a ruling by a court in Washington. The future president, Barack Obama, promised to close Guantanamo, while 255 people are still detained at the American base. Last month, another judge had ordered the release of 17 Uighurs. The six Algerian detainees were the first to benefit from the opportunity opened by the supreme court to challenge their detention before a civilian court. The evidence presented by the U.S. government did not convince the judge, who ordered the release of five of the six prisoners. Arrested in Bosnia, where they lived in 2002, six Algerians were, initially, were accused of preparing an attack against the U.S. embassy in Sarajevo, then dropped charges to be replaced by another. The six men allegedly planned to leave for Afghanistan to participate in attacks against U.S. forces. Judge Richard Leon, the author of this decision, is known to be close to George Bush. It has long been part of the camp of those who refused that the Guantanamo detainees can turn to civil courts. During the audience, he however urged the government not to appeal his decision. "Everything suggests that these five men have been unfairly detained for nearly seven years, he explained, they deserved to go home. "