We reflect on the 22nd anniversary of Guantanamo, where prisoners of the War on Terror first arrived on January 11, 2002. Since Guantanamo is located in Cuba, the U.S. government initially claimed that neither U.S. law nor international law applied there, a claim that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected. The U.S. government continues to violate domestic and international law at Guantanamo, including the Torture Convention (CAT). Detainees did not have due process rights and some spent twenty years there without charge and without trial. Prisoners also suffered a wide range of torture, including sensory deprivation or bombardment, stress positions, sleep deprivation and desecration of the Koran. According to U.S. government sources, of the 780 Muslim men and boys who have come through the military prison, more than 92 percent could not be tied to terrorism. 

Sadly, countries around the world, especially authoritarian countries such as China and Russia, have routinely made reference to Guantanamo when trying to justify their own human rights violations (in the name of national security). Internationally, the U.S. has lost credibility as a country supposedly bound by law. Terrorist organizations have also used the abuses at Guantanamo to bolster recruitment, which runs counter to the security interests of the United States. 

As of today, 30 prisoners still remain at Guantanamo, even though 16 of them have been cleared for release, many of them years ago. Former prisoners who have been transferred (often to countries other than their countries of origin) have faced considerable challenges. Some of the receiving countries have put them under house arrest or imprisoned and tortured them. In several countries it is not possible to get legal residency, work permits or health insurance. Visits with family are also prohibited. 

Fionnuala Ni Aolain visited the prison complex as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms While Countering Terrorism. Her report (including her recommendations on p. 4) can be found here: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/terrorism/sr/2023-06-26-SR-terrorism-technical-visit-US-guantanamo-detention-facility.pdf

Human rights organizations, faith-based organizations, and NGOs are calling on the Biden administration to close Guantanamo. The letter can be found here: https://www.cvt.org/statements/cvt-and-coalition-partners-call-on-president-biden-to-close-guantanamo-permanently/ 

Amnesty International's current petition is here: https://www.amnestyusa.org/campaigns/close-guantanamo/

The Amnesty 2021 report on Guantanamo is here: https://www.amnestyusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/USA_-Right-the-Wrong_Decision-Time-on-Guantananmo.pdf

The 2022 report by Human Rights Watch is here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/09/legacy-dark-side

The NYT Guantanamo Docket is here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/guantanamo-bay-detainees.html

Other organizations working on Guantanamo include:
https://www.closeguantanamo.org/
https://www.cvt.org/
https://ccrjustice.org/home/what-we-do/issues/guantanamo
https://www.peacefultomorrows.org/

New tracks tagged #Torture Convention