The four Chinese Uighurs who arrived in Bermuda last week “cannot and should not go back” to Guantánamo Bay, Sir Richard Gozney said today.

The Governor told a press conference that he did not want to go into details about the other options available for the former terror suspects, who spent seven years at the US detention facility despite twice being cleared of being enemy combatants.

“If I do, that may prejudice other possible solutions,” he said, adding that the UK, US and Bermuda needed to work with one another to find the right outcome.

Sir Richard told the media that during a meeting he had with the Bermuda Government yesterday, he did most of the talking.

The Governor reiterated that Premier Ewart Brown’s direct negotiations with the US to bring the Muslims to the Island — a process Sir Richard described as an “exchange of notes” — breached section 62 of the Bermuda Constitution.

He said: “Because it breaches the Constitution, this exchange of notes which was negotiated and sent on June 10, was in our view, invalid. In other words, the Bermuda Government’s action to solicit the arrival of the four Uighurs was unacceptable.

“I talked to the Bermuda Government yesterday, June 16, and suggested to them that they should now consider carefully their next steps.”

See tomorrow’s edition of The Royal Gazette for the full story.

ends