Global InformationGuantanamo Bay detention camp information
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| Location | Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 19°54′03″N 75°05′59″W / 19.90083°N 75.09972°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Population | 30 (as of April 2023) |
| Opened | January 11, 2002 |
| Managed by | United States Navy |
The Guantanamo Bay detention camp (Spanish: Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison within the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Gitmo (/ˈɡɪtmoʊ/ GIT-moh), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. As of April 2023[update], of the 779 people detained there since January 2002 when the military prison first opened after the September 11 attacks, 740 had been transferred elsewhere, 30 remained there, and nine had died while in custody.[1]
The camp was established by U.S. President George W. Bush's administration in 2002 during the War on Terror following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Indefinite detention without trial led the operations of this camp to be considered a major breach of human rights by Amnesty International, and a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution by the Center for Constitutional Rights.[2][3] There are also testimonies of abuse and torture of prisoners.[4][5]
Bush's successor, U.S. President Barack Obama, promised that he would close the camp in 2010, but met strong bipartisan opposition from the U.S. Congress, which passed laws to prohibit detainees from Guantanamo being transferred to the United States for any reason, including imprisonment or medical care.[6] During the Obama administration, the number of inmates was reduced from about 250[7] to 41.[8]
In January 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the detention camp open indefinitely.[9] In May 2018, the Trump administration repatriated a prisoner to Saudi Arabia.[10]
In early February 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden declared his intention to close the facility before he leaves office, though the Biden administration has taken few steps in that direction.[11][12] Instead, the Department of Defense has continued several million dollars of expansions to military commissions and other Guantanamo Bay facilities, including a second courtroom.[13][14][15] The Biden administration has released 10 detainees from Guantanamo.[16][17][18][19] As of April 2023, the facility has 30 detainees.[20]
- ^ "The Guantánamo Docket". The New York Times. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
- ^ Guantanamo and Illegal Detention Archived 15 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Amnesty International. Retrieved 3 November 2016
- ^ "Guantanamo". Center for Constitutional Rights. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
- ^ "Guantanamo Bay: "Ugly chapter of unrelenting human rights violations" – UN experts". OHCHR. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ Shamsi, Hina (11 January 2022). "20 Years Later, Guantánamo Remains a Disgraceful Stain on Our Nation. It Needs to End. | ACLU". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
- ^ Herszenhorn, David (5 November 2015). "Senate Passes Military Bill that Bans Transfers of Guantanamo Detainees". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Wittes, Benjamin; Wyne, Zaahira (30 November 2001). "The Current Detainee Population of Guantanamo: An Empirical Study". www.brookings.edu. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Rosenberg, Carol (19 January 2017). "Obama to leave with 41 captives still at Guantánamo, blames politics". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
TrumpOrderwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rosenberg, Carol (17 June 2021). "Two More Guantánamo Detainees Are Cleared for Transfer to Other Nations". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ Kaufman, Ellie (19 September 2021). "Biden administration has made little progress towards goal of closing notorious Guantanamo Bay prison". www.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
- ^ Ellie Kaufman (12 February 2021). "Biden administration says it intends to close Guantanamo prison". CNN. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ "How Many Inmates Are There At Guantanamo Bay?". WorldAtlas. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Biden Promised to Close Gitmo. Instead, He's Upgrading It". news.yahoo.com. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ Rosenberg, Carol (30 December 2021). "Pentagon Building New Secret Courtroom at Guantánamo Bay". The New York Times.
- ^ Rosenberg, Carol; Savage, Charlie (19 July 2021). "Biden Administration Transfers Its First Detainee From Guantánamo Bay". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ Kim, Juliana (29 October 2022). "The U.S. releases the oldest prisoner in Guantanamo Bay". National Public Radio. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Rosenberg, Carol (2 February 2023). "Tortured Guantanamo Detainee Is Freed in Belize". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Rosenberg, Carol (8 March 2023). "U.S. Military Repatriates Saudi Engineer from Guantánamo Bay". The New York Times.
- ^ Lee, Carol E.; Kube, Courtney (20 April 2023). "Guantanamo population drops to 30; Biden admin wants to cut it more". NBC News. Retrieved 13 February 2024.