[JURIST] Guantanamo Bay commander US Navy Rear Adm. Mark H. Buzby [official profile] confirmed the existence of a secret camp at the detention facility for alleged al-Qaeda members classified as "high-value detainees" in an interview with AP Wednesday. Buzby said prisoners in so-called "Camp 7" are kept apart from other prisoners to prevent violence against those who have provided information to interrogators and that the exact location of the camp has been kept secret to prevent a terrorist attack.

The existence of Camp 7 [Miami Herald backgrounder] was not known until December when it was mentioned [NYT report] in court papers [JURIST report] filed by lawyers for Majid Khan [GlobalSecurity profile], the first "high-value" Guantanamo Bay detainee to be allowed to meet privately with legal counsel. The Guantanamo Bay facility has been the subject of much international and domestic controversy in recent years, and many have called for it to be closed altogether [JURIST news archive]. AP has more.