John B. Bellinger, III, Legal Adviser to Condoleezza Rice, secretary of state, confirms to Craig Whitlock, of the Washington Post, that 17 ethnic Uighur separatists who have been cleared of terrorism charges, and are free to leave Guantanamo Naval Base, Cuba, have nowhere to go.  If they are repatriated to their native China, they will most likely be executed for their patriotism (the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, which the department of state denounced as a terrorist Group); yet the department of state will not grant them political asylsm.  The Moslem Uighurs were captured in Afghanistan, by the Northern Alliance, and sold to the United states Armed Forces (private mercenaries) as suspect terrorists.

       [added 4/6/2024] Thanks to Jim Lorenz for this entry.