Lobbying 2016: Kuwait lobby blitz secures Gitmo release
Kuwait's lobbying blitz has paid off.
The Gulf emirate has spent millions of dollars over the past decade pressing Washington for the release of its 12 citizens captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan. The last remaining one, Fayez al Kandari, was released from the US prison at Guantanamo in January.
"The United States is grateful to the government of the State of Kuwait for its willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility," the Department of Defense said in a statement at the time. "The United States coordinated with the government of the State of Kuwait to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures."
Kandari's repatriation marked the culmination of a years-long lobbying effort. The government-funded International Counsel Bureau, which represents the detainees' families, paid four US law firms $1.18 million last year to advocate before all three branches of government, lobbying US records show — all four contracts have since been terminated.
