UN human rights council details mistreatment of Guantanamo Bay detainees, calls for closure
The UN Sunday described the treatment of detainees at Guantánamo Bay as “worrying” and called for the closure of the detention facility “without further delay.” The comments came in a newly released report from the UN Human Rights Council which outlined “systematic shortcomings in medical expertise, equipment, treatment, and accommodations” at Guantánamo Bay. The report [...]
Guantanamo Bay detainee released after 16 years imprisonment
The US Department of Defense (DoD) Thursday confirmed the release from Guantanamo Bay of Majid Khan, a former money courier for al-Qaeda. The release follows a transfer agreement between the US and Belize. The deal, which will see the Central American country of Belize house Khan within its borders, is the first of its kind [...]
Will Guantanamo Continue As An Unnecessary Presidential Legacy?
Almost five years ago I contributed to a Commentary to JURIST entitled, “Guantanamo: An Unnecessary Presidential Legacy,” which focused on former President Barack Obama’s unsuccessful attempt to shut down the Guantanamo prison facility because of missed opportunities, faulty decision making, internal administration opposition and ultimately partisan political division that resulted in an unnecessary presidential legacy. [...]
Guantanamo detainee loses bid to dismiss charges and disqualify judge over conflicts of interest
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a petition by Guantanamo detainee Nashwan al-Tamir to dismiss the charges against him and disqualify the judge presiding over his case over conflicts of interest. Al-Tamir was apprehended in 2006 in Turkey, taken to a CIA black site and tortured for six months, and then held at Guantanamo [...]
Amnesty International on Thursday called Guantanamo prison a “stain on human rights” on the eve of the prison’s seventeenth anniversary. Guantanamo prison currently holds 40 detainees, many of whom were tortured by the CIA before being transferred to the facility. Many have also been issued transfers to other prisons and are still awaiting such transfers. [...]
The UK Ministry of Justice announced on Friday plans to separate 28 "dangerous extremist" from the main stream prison population by placing them in one of three separation centers. Prisoners who are subject to separation are...
Four Guantanamo detainees transferred on Obama's final day in office
The US Department of Defense announced the transfer of four Guantanamo prisoners Thursday. Jabran al Qahtani will be sent to Saudi Arabia , while Ravil Mingazov, Haji Wali Muhammed, and Yassim Qasim Mohammed Ismail Qasim will be...
Federal judge declines to intervene for release of Guantanamo prisoner
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia on Wednesday refused to intervene to overturn a Defense Department decision to continue the detention of Algerian prisoner Sufyian Barhoumi . Responding...
Oman reports accepting Guantanamo Bay detainees upon request
Oman's Foreign Ministry announced that it has accepted 10 detainees from Guantanamo Bay upon request from the Obama administration. However, there has been no official statement released by the US Defense Department on the...
JURIST Guest Columnist Dr. Leonard Cutler and Shelby Davis of Siena College discuss the failed attempts by President Obama to close the Guantanamo prison As Barack Obama's presidency comes to a close, the fate of Guantanamo prison remains unclear. Despite...
