On January 11, 2002, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp saw the arrival of its first detainees. Today marks 20 years since its inception, and over the past two decades the detention camp has become an issue of great contention and controversy. Show The offshore prison, located at a U.S. Navy base in southern Cuba, was created during George W. Bush's administration in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. Since 2002, approximately 780 inmates have been held at Guantanamo Bay. At its peak the detention camp held 684 detainees in June 2003. Despite President Joe Biden's commitment to close Guantanamo Bay by the end of his administration, the Pentagon is developing a new military courtroom at the facility. Best of Newsweek via email How Many Inmates Are Held at Guantanamo Bay?According to Pentagon statistics seen by Newsweek, there are currently 39 inmates still detained at the prison, most of which have never been charged with a crime. Of those, 12 have been charged with war crimes, with an additional 10 awaiting trial and a further two inmates convicted. An additional 13 prisoners have been recommended for an overseas transfer while 14 others are eligible for a Periodic Review Board. All 14 of them have undergone a review since the start of the Biden Administration. Afghan prisoners represented the largest proportion of detainees at the centre over the last two decades, with 203 of them held at the prison. Over the course of four different presidencies, Guantanamo Bay has become infamous for the frequent allegations of detainee torture. Department of Defense Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth L. Hoffman told Newsweek: "Torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment is prohibited for all U.S. personnel in all locations. We recognize there have been violations of the law by U.S. personnel in the past. However, all allegations of abuse are thoroughly investigated, and those who failed to adhere to these treatment standards have and will continue to be held accountable." Human rights organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have spoken out against the reportedly ongoing use of extreme interrogation methods. At least 9 prisoners are known to have died behind bars, with an additional 30 reported to have died after being transferred from the detention center. In a statement, Daphne Eviatar, Director of the Security with Human Rights Program at Amnesty International USA, said: "This is about more than just the 40 people still held at Guantaanamo—it is also about the crimes under international law committed over the past 19 years and the continuing lack of accountability for them. "It is about the future, too, as we move towards the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and strive for enduring justice." In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Military Police guard Taliban and al Qaeda detainees in orange jumpsuits January 11, 2002 in a holding area at Camp X-Ray at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba during in-processing to the temporary detention facility. Photo by Petty Officer 1st class Shane T. McCoy/U.S. Navy via Getty Images/Shane T. McCoyWill the Guantanamo Bay prison ever close?There has long been a push to close the detention centre. Shortly after assuming office in January 2009, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13492 ordering the closure of Guantanamo Bay. However, Obama was unable to close the center during his administration. In January 2018, President Donald Trump signed a contrasting executive order to keep the offshore jail open. During the Bush administration roughly 540 prisoners were released, a further 200 were released under President Barack Obama, one prisoner was released during the Donald Trump administration and Joe Biden has thus far released one additional detainee. President Biden has picked up the promise of his Democrat predecessor and has vowed to close Guantanamo Bay. Hoffman said: "The Biden administration remains dedicated to a deliberate and thorough process focused on responsibly reducing the detainee population and ultimately closing the Guantanamo facility. To that end, the National Security Council continues to work closely with the Departments of Defense, State, and Justice and other departments and agencies." The main gate at the prison in Guantanamo at the US Guantanamo Naval Base on October 16, 2018, in Guantanamo Base, Cuba. Despite former President Donald Trump's executive order to keep the facility open, President Joe Biden has promised to close it by the end of his administration.Sylvie Laneteaume/AFP via Getty ImagesBiden expands centre despite vow to close GuantanamoThe Pentagon is building an additional new courtroom at Guantanamo Bay, the second at the facility. The new $4 million dollar expansion is designed to allow two military judges to hold court proceedings and war crimes trials from 2023. However, unlike the existing courtroom, the new one will be closed off to the public, raising further concerns over transparency at the prison camp. Those hoping to follow the proceedings at the new courtroom will only have access to a delayed video broadcast in an entirely different building. The detention facilities also suppose a substantial financial drain for the U.S. administration. In 2015, it was reported that running the Guantanamo Bay camp cost the U.S. Department of Defense roughly $445 million. In a 2016 Homeland Security hearing, congressional representative Bennie Thompson said: "In addition to these annual costs, maintaining the facility in the future would require an additional $200 million. Closing the facility is expected to save between $140 million and $180 million annually." In February 2021, The New York Times revealed that it costs approximately $13 million per prisoner to keep Guantanamo Bay running, reportedly making it the most expensive detention facility in the world. In contrast, the annual cost of inmate detention at high-risk federal prisons is roughly $78,000.
The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, admitted its first inmates 20 years ago Tuesday. The debate over what to do with the last prisoners, most of whom have never been charged, continues.
ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: On this day 20 years ago, suspected terrorists rounded up after the September 11 attacks began arriving at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Two decades later, the debate continues over what to do with the U.S. military court and prison there. NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer has made several trips to Guantanamo, and she's here to talk about this anniversary and the future of the prison. Hi, Sacha. SACHA PFEIFFER, BYLINE: Hi, Ari. SHAPIRO: How many people are still in prison at Guantanamo Bay? PFEIFFER: Thirty-nine - that's down from nearly 800 over the years. Now, most of these men have never been charged. They're just being held indefinitely. And more than a third have been cleared for release but are still being held. In fact, just yesterday, for the first time, one of the so-called high-value detainees was declared safe to be let go after he spent 15 years there. The U.S. alleged he had close ties with al-Qaida but now say he's no longer a threat. But he could still remain locked up at Gitmo for some time. And his attorney, Wells Dixon, says that's just wrong. WELLS DIXON: It's not enough simply to approve detainees for transfer. They actually have to leave the prison, and that isn't happening. And it's cruel to say to someone you shouldn't be here but then to not take the necessary steps to release them. SHAPIRO: What's standing in the way of their being released? PFEIFFER: Well, the U.S. has to find countries to take them. And in some cases, these men are from collapsed nations like Yemen, so it's complicated to find homes for them. But a bigger problem is that President Trump shut down the office that used to negotiate transfers of Guantanamo prisoners, and it's unclear if President Biden has restarted that process. SHAPIRO: You say that these detainees are judged to be safe for release or not. How does the government make that judgment? How do they know whether it's dangerous to release someone? PFEIFFER: That is a hard call. The government tries to measure how many released Gitmo prisoners later turn against the U.S., but estimates vary dramatically, and critics say those numbers are full of errors, plus misleading. For example, a released prisoner who gives an interview critical of the U.S. could be labeled as reengaging in terror. But, Ari, letting prisoners go does involve some level of risk. And as an example of that, even though released prisoners are subject to security measures like monitoring and travel bans, you may remember that when the Taliban took over Afghanistan last summer, at least two Taliban leaders were former Gitmo inmates. SHAPIRO: What's the cost of holding these men? How much are American taxpayers paying? PFEIFFER: Gitmo's prison and military court cost American taxpayers about $540 million a year. That's a big part of why many people want President Biden to close Guantanamo. Letta Tayler of Human Rights Watch calls it a, quote, "blight on the U.S. reputation and moral authority worldwide." She points out that five of the prisoners still there are the 9/11 defendants and still haven't been tried. LETTA TAYLER: And this isn't just denying due process to the suspects. It's depriving 9/11 survivors and the family members of 9/11 victims their right to justice. And that is a total affront to anyone who was harmed by or remembers 9/11. PFEIFFER: And, Ari, the 9/11 cases have had lots of turnover of judges and lawyers, and holding the legal hearings in Cuba is extremely cumbersome. So some 9/11 families want these cases just to be settled rather than go to trial. They say a quick resolution would be having the defendants plead guilty in return for life in prison. Now, for the non-9/11 prisoners, the Biden administration has been quietly working to close Gitmo by clearing some of them for release. But the fall of Afghanistan has made that politically harder to know where to send these men. SHAPIRO: And so if these remaining prisoners were to be released or the criminal case is somehow resolved, what would happen then? Would Guantanamo prison just shut down? And what would happen to the facilities of the base? PFEIFFER: It's all speculative. There is a longtime naval base on Guantanamo that would almost certainly keep operating. But I asked Alka Pradhan, a lawyer for one of the 9/11 defendants, what might become of the courthouse and prison. And here's what she said. ALKA PRADHAN: I think there will be a number of people who want to get rid of it and pave over it and forget the whole thing and pretend nothing ever happened. But I don't think that that will actually happen. PFEIFFER: She thinks they're more likely to become a bunch of old buildings that fall into disuse, maybe eventually become a museum to document what the U.S. did there. SHAPIRO: NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer, thank you. PFEIFFER: Thank you. Copyright © 2022 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. |