Syrian prisoner Abu Wa'el Dhiab is one of six men transferred to Uruguay, after spending more than a decade in the United States prison without conviction.
The 43-year-old was detained at Guantanamo Bay as a suspected militant with ties to al-Qaeda in 2002, but never charged.
Mr Dhiab was cleared for release in 2009, but unable to return home, he remained imprisoned as the US struggled to find countries to accept him.
He staged a long-term hunger strike, requesting that prison officials stop force-feeding him.
He’s also taken legal action against the US Government to release video footage of the force-feeding to the public.
Mr Dhiab’s lawyer, Cori Crider, told Al Jazeera that prisoners such as her client deserve an apology.
Nineteen prisoners have been released this year, but 136 still remain, most held without charge
“We do have a moral responsibility to these people,” she said.
“But I'm sad to say there's never been any apology to date for a former Guantanamo prisoner from the United States, nor has anybody been compensated for their injuries.”
Ms Crider said her client’s immediate priority was to get well and see his family.
“At the moment of course his main focus is on just getting well… and also of course he wants to see his wife and his kids again," she said.
“So I think the hope is that one day he could be reunited here with his wife and his children."
Mr Dhiab and the additional five former Guantanamo prisonersare currently being examined at a military hospital in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.
Uruguayan President Jose Mujica agreed to accept the group as a humanitarian gesture.
“We have offered hospitality for humans suffering a heinous kidnapping in Guantanamo,” Mr Mujica said.
US President Barack Obama pledged to close Guantanamo Bay in 2009, but the process has been hampered by the US Congress and a lack of countries willing to accept detainees.
Nineteen prisoners have been released this year, but 136 still remain at the centre, most held without charge.
