The End of The Road For Driver Salim Hamdan Prisoner of Guantanamo

After Salim Hamdan had spent more than five years in Guatanamo Bay, this gentle man he is on his way to his beloved country of Yemen. He was labeled by his captors as a very dangerous terrorist who should be sentenced to life in prison.

This proclaimed terrorist 40-year-old was the notorious Osama Bin Laden's driver.

He became the first detainee to be convicted in the small, windowless courtroom on a hilltop at the US naval base in Guantanamo. But the verdict and relatively short sentence he was given were seen as a blow to the White House.

Now, his transfer to Yemen, where he is to serve the remaining month of his sentence, could portend a way forward for the release of the other 100 Yemenis still being held - the largest national group and one of the biggest headaches for the US administration.

But crucially, his departure from Guantanamo signals the beginning of the end for the detention facility.Just last month, the US administration had sought to get Hamdan re-sentenced because officials felt that the judge, Navy Cpt Keith Allred, had erred by crediting him for time already served

President-elect Barack Obama has said he will close down the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andy-worthington/seven-years-of-guantanamo_b_156903.html