ON PAUSE

Pentagon Rescinds Plan to Vaccinate Guantanamo Prisoners

Vaccinating prisoners would have helped resume hearings amid the pandemic.

The Pentagon has walked back its plan to offer coronavirus vaccinations to inmates at Guantanamo Bay, a move that would have made it easier for hearings to continue amid the pandemic. Prosecutors working on cases against five Guantanamo prisoners disclosed this week that the Pentagon had approved the delivery of vaccines for detainees, The New York Times reported. However, after Republican lawmakers expressed outraged that the prison’s 40 inmates, including 9/11 attacker Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, might get jabs before most Americans, the Pentagon backtracked. “We’re pausing the plan to move forward, as we review force protection protocols,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a tweet on Saturday. “We remain committed to our obligations to keep our troops safe.” Some medical staff and troops at Guantanamo have already been vaccinated.