It is a legal scandal that the US military prison at Guantanamo is still open and holds 183 people who were seized in all sorts of different situations. The prisoners are not subject to the Geneva Conventions and they have not been put on trial. They are in a bizarre limbo that former US president George W. Bush invented in order to lock people up as he wished.
It is a political scandal that Barack Obama has failed to keep his promise to close Guantanamo within a year of taking office. Bush's disregard for the rule of law was one of Obama's most fervent attacks on Bush's administration, but it is now Obama's responsibility.
Everyone in Guantanamo should be put on trial. If they are guilty of terrorist crimes, they should be sent to prison. If not, they should be released. This week five prisoners were moved out of Guantanamo: two to prison in Switzerland and three to house arrest in Georgia. It is wrong that the US is trying to force its allies to take responsibility for Guantanamo prisoners. The US needs to deal with its own mess.