After spending more than a decade in the notorious detention camp, six Guantanamo Bay prisoners have been transferred to Uruguay for resettlement, the Pentagon announced in a statement today.

All six men were detained in 2002 for suspected ties to terrorism but none was ever charged with a crime. Following a review of their cases by the Obama-ordered Guantanamo Review Task Force, the associated agencies unanimously approved the prisoners for transfer.

According to the BBC, "around half" of the 136 detainees still held in Guantanamo have been cleared for release, but, as refugees, have nowhere to go.

Uruguayan President Jose Mujica—who himself was imprisoned for over 12 years as member of an urban guerrilla group—first offered to receive the detainees in March, saying, "They are welcome to come here."

On Friday, President Mujica repeated his call in an open letter to President Obama, writing, "We have offered our hospitality for human beings who suffered an atrocious kidnapping in Guantanamo."

[Image via AP Images]