Guantanamo Bay prison (file photo)

WASHINGTON, April 20 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. government has released its first list of names and nationalities of 558 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay prison, Cuba.

    The Pentagon posted the 11-page list on its Web site Wednesday amid wide criticism of the secrecy surrounding the detention center.

    The detainees, designated by the Pentagon as "enemy combatants," came from 40 countries and the West Bank and only 10 of them have been charged. Saudi Arabia has the largest number of detainees, or 132 on the list, followed by Afghanistan and Yemen with 125 and 107 respectively.

    The Pentagon said the list was comprehensive and that there were no other detainees currently in Guantanamo who were not on the list.

    The United States had refused to release any list of names except the 10 who have been formally charged. Enditem