High court to hear Guantanamo prisoner’s state secrets case
3 years, 11 months ago

High court to hear Guantanamo prisoner’s state secrets case

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will decide whether a Palestinian man captured in the wake of 9/11 and detained at the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay can get access to information the government classifies as state secrets. Zubaydah and his lawyer want to question two former CIA contractors about the operation of a secret CIA facility in Poland where they say Zubaydah was held and tortured. In asking the Supreme Court to take the case, the government said it has declassified a “significant amount of information regarding the former CIA Program, including the details of Abu Zubaydah’s treatment while in CIA custody, which included the use of enhanced interrogation techniques.” But it said it had “determined that certain categories of information—including the identities of its foreign intelligence partners and the location of former CIA detention facilities in their countries—could not be declassified without risking undue harm to the national security.” The high court will not hear the case until sometime after its new term begins in October. President Joe Biden’s administration has said he will seek to close the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process that began under the Obama administration.

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History of this topic

If Musk’s DOGE wants to save money, closing Guantanamo has to be the first call
2 months ago

If Musk’s DOGE wants to save money, closing Guantanamo has to be the first call

The Independent  

The soon-to-be-created Department of Government Efficiency – to be run by Elon Musk – and the new DOGE caucus in Congress have declared their commitment “to help rein in reckless spending and stop the abuse of taxpayer dollars.” How about a Defence Department programme that has cost $13bn with no end in sight and that costs 200 times as much …

Biden's Guantánamo legacy 'one step forward, several steps backwards'
2 months, 1 week ago

Biden's Guantánamo legacy 'one step forward, several steps backwards'

NPR  

Biden's Guantánamo legacy 'one step forward, several steps backwards' toggle caption Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Like Barack Obama before him, Joe Biden vowed to try to shut down the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. When Biden first came into office, "there was a sense of aggressive movement" on working to shutter the prison and resolve its remaining legal cases, …

The Biden administration succeeds in temporarily blocking a plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind
2 months, 2 weeks ago

The Biden administration succeeds in temporarily blocking a plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind

LA Times  

A 2008 courtroom drawing shows Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pretrial session at the U.S. military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. The Biden administration succeeded Thursday in temporarily blocking Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, accused of being the mastermind behind 9/11, from entering a guilty plea in a deal that would spare …

Biden administration in secret Taliban talks to swap 'Osama Bin Laden aide' for Americans detained in Afghanistan
2 months, 3 weeks ago

Biden administration in secret Taliban talks to swap 'Osama Bin Laden aide' for Americans detained in Afghanistan

Daily Mail  

The U.S. has reportedly launched prisoner-swap talks with the Taliban to bring home Americans held in Afghanistan for a terror suspect believed to have been an associate of the former Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden. In November, the Biden administration told the Taliban it would release him if Afghan's rulers freed George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett, and Mahmoud Habibi, according …

US releases Guantanamo Bay prisoner held since day 1
Trending News
2 months, 4 weeks ago

US releases Guantanamo Bay prisoner held since day 1

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A prisoner who has …

Pentagon repatriates Guantánamo detainee held without charge for over two decades
2 months, 4 weeks ago

Pentagon repatriates Guantánamo detainee held without charge for over two decades

Raw Story  

The Biden administration announced late Monday that it transferred a Tunisian man who was never charged with a crime out of the notorious Guantánamo Bay military prison in Cuba, a move that came more than a decade after the detainee was approved for release. Al-Yazidi was the fourth Guantánamo detainee in two weeks to be transferred from the prison by …

Defense Secretary strips Guantánamo official of power to reach settlements, after 9/11 plotter controversy
4 months ago

Defense Secretary strips Guantánamo official of power to reach settlements, after 9/11 plotter controversy

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked the authority of the official …

We still don’t know everything that happened at Guantánamo Bay. The 9/11 trial could tell us
4 months, 2 weeks ago

We still don’t know everything that happened at Guantánamo Bay. The 9/11 trial could tell us

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery The CIA has declined …

Plea negotiations could mean no 9/11 defendants face the death penalty, the US tells families
1 year, 7 months ago

Plea negotiations could mean no 9/11 defendants face the death penalty, the US tells families

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The suspected architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and his fellow defendants may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under consideration to bring an end to their more than decadelong prosecution, the Pentagon has advised families of some of the thousands killed. It told the families that while no plea agreement “has been finalized, …

Plea negotiations could mean no 9/11 defendants face the death penalty, U.S. tells families
1 year, 7 months ago

Plea negotiations could mean no 9/11 defendants face the death penalty, U.S. tells families

LA Times  

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is suspected of planning the Sept. 11 attacks, may never face the death penalty under plea agreements under consideration, the Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed. The suspected architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and his fellow defendants may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under …

Conditions for Guantanamo detainees are cruel, inhuman and degrading, UN investigator says
1 year, 9 months ago

Conditions for Guantanamo detainees are cruel, inhuman and degrading, UN investigator says

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — The first U.N. independent investigator to visit the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay said Monday the 30 men held there are subject “to ongoing cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment under international law.” The investigator, Irish law professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, said at a news conference releasing her 23-page report to the U.N. Human Rights Council that …

Book Review | The Guantanamo trauma and Abu Zubaydah's unbearable secrets
1 year, 9 months ago

Book Review | The Guantanamo trauma and Abu Zubaydah's unbearable secrets

Deccan Chronicle  

On March 28, 2002, the CIA, with the help of Pakistani intelligence officers, raided a house in Faisalabad suspected of housing Al Qaeda terrorists. The Palestinian bleeding profusely was identified as Abu Zubaydah, a terrorist high on the CIA’s wanted list as a close aide of Osama bin Laden and a key planner of the Twin Towers attack. His status …

Joe Biden frees another 'al-Qaeda associate' from '9/11 jail' Guantanamo Bay:
1 year, 11 months ago

Joe Biden frees another 'al-Qaeda associate' from '9/11 jail' Guantanamo Bay:

Daily Mail  

Joe Biden has freed another suspected terrorist from Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. naval base in Cuba used to jail those believed to pose a major security risk to Americans. Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush was captured in a raid on an al-Qaeda hideout in Pakistan in 2002 in the post 9/11 war on terror. The facility has been repeatedly …

Biden Administration Ramping up Efforts to Close Guantanamo Bay Prison: Report
2 years, 6 months ago

Biden Administration Ramping up Efforts to Close Guantanamo Bay Prison: Report

News 18  

The Biden administration is taking steps to close US’ Guantanamo Bay prison, the Wall Street Journal said in a report. The administration may not interfere with plea negotiations that could resolve the long-stalled prosecution of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four co-defendants, the WSJ said in the report. However, the decision to close down the detention facility could …

US Supreme Court blocks testimony over Guantanamo detainee
3 years ago

US Supreme Court blocks testimony over Guantanamo detainee

Al Jazeera  

A Polish investigation concerns the treatment of Abu Zubaydah, who remains at the American naval base at Guantanamo. Al Jazeera reported in 2014 that Zubaydah “was the only captive subjected to all 10 torture techniques identified in an August 2002 Justice Department memo”. Zubaydah was “an associate and longtime terrorist ally of Osama bin Laden”, the leader of the al-Qaeda …

Biden’s low profile on Guantanamo rankles as prison turns 20
3 years, 2 months ago

Biden’s low profile on Guantanamo rankles as prison turns 20

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Advocates for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center were optimistic when President Joe Biden took office. That has led to increased skepticism about Biden’s approach as the administration completes its first year and the detention center reaches a milestone Tuesday — the 20th anniversary of the first prisoners’ arrival. “President Biden has stated his intention to close Guantanamo …

High court to hear secrets case over Muslim surveillance
3 years, 4 months ago

High court to hear secrets case over Muslim surveillance

The Independent  

Get Nadine White's Race Report newsletter for a fresh perspective on the week's news Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent Get our free newsletter from The Independent's Race Correspondent SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Supreme Court is preparing to hear a …

Ex-Maryland man who joined al-Qaida sentenced at Guantanamo
3 years, 4 months ago

Ex-Maryland man who joined al-Qaida sentenced at Guantanamo

Associated Press  

— A military jury imposed a sentence of 26 years Friday on a former Maryland man who admitted joining al-Qaida and has been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The sentencing of Majid Khan is the culmination of the first trial by military commission for one of the 14 so-called high-value detainees who were sent to the U.S. naval …

Judge says US held Afghan man unlawfully at Guantanamo Bay
3 years, 5 months ago

Judge says US held Afghan man unlawfully at Guantanamo Bay

Al Jazeera  

Asadullah Haroon Gul was denied access to a lawyer, held for 14 years at Guantanamo without charge; now ordered freed. US District Court Judge Amit Mehta, ruling on a petition of habeas corpus, has rejected the US government’s arguments for continuing to hold Gul in detention at Guantanamo. Gul was held for 14 years at Guantanamo without charge and denied …

US says Guantanamo detainee can pen letter about torture
3 years, 5 months ago

US says Guantanamo detainee can pen letter about torture

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it will allow a Guantanamo Bay detainee to provide information to Polish officials about his torture in CIA custody following the 9/11 attacks. But the government noted that a court case in the United States involving Zubaydah already includes a public but redacted declaration from him describing his treatment in CIA custody. Any declaration …

US says Guantanamo detainee can pen letter about torture
3 years, 5 months ago

US says Guantanamo detainee can pen letter about torture

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Biden administration says it …

Guantanamo detainee can pen letter on CIA mistreatment, US says
3 years, 5 months ago

Guantanamo detainee can pen letter on CIA mistreatment, US says

Al Jazeera  

Abu Zubaydah can write declaration about alleged torture in Poland, US government tells Supreme Court. In a filing to the Supreme Court filed on Friday, the US government said Abu Zubaydah can “send a declaration” to Polish investigators looking into the alleged torture of the suspect at a CIA black site in their country. Zubaydah’s letter may be redacted to …

Justices ponder detainee’s rights in Guantanamo secrets case
3 years, 5 months ago

Justices ponder detainee’s rights in Guantanamo secrets case

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed skeptical of requiring the U.S. government to divulge what it says is secret information being sought by a Guantanamo Bay detainee. But many of the justices also asked Zubaydah’s lawyer why, if so much information is public, the testimony of the former CIA contractors is necessary. He said it would represent a …

US top court hears Guantanamo detainee’s ‘state secrets’ case
3 years, 5 months ago

US top court hears Guantanamo detainee’s ‘state secrets’ case

Al Jazeera  

Three US Supreme Court justices question why detainee Abu Zubaydah cannot testify about alleged CIA ‘torture’. Senate report In a court filing, Zubaydah’s lawyers said the US government is preventing him from offering his testimony “as the victim of a crime normally would”. The 2014 Senate report said “CIA records do not support” the agency’s claims that Zubaydah was one …

Why is Guantanamo Bay prison still open 20 years after 9/11?
3 years, 6 months ago

Why is Guantanamo Bay prison still open 20 years after 9/11?

Al Jazeera  

The fate of 39 detainees who are still being held rests with US President Joe Biden, who has pledged to close the prison. In the nearly 20 years since, the notorious military prison at Guantanamo has become a symbol of US human rights abuses. “The fact that the prison remains open 20 years later is because of US partisan politics …

Guantanamo prison lingers, an unresolved legacy of 9/11
3 years, 6 months ago

Guantanamo prison lingers, an unresolved legacy of 9/11

Associated Press  

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba — President Joe Biden turned the page on one legacy of 9/11 by ending the war in Afghanistan. “The fact that Biden, at least, is saying the right things has given people hope,” said Clive Stafford Smith, a lawyer who was recently making his 40th trip to Guantanamo Bay, seeing prisoners he hadn’t been able …

Guantanamo Bay: Inside the world’s most notorious detention centre as the war on terror fades away
3 years, 8 months ago

Guantanamo Bay: Inside the world’s most notorious detention centre as the war on terror fades away

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Camp Justice on Guantánamo …

Supreme Court agrees to hear 2nd ‘state secrets’ case
3 years, 9 months ago

Supreme Court agrees to hear 2nd ‘state secrets’ case

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide whether a lawsuit can go forward in which a group of Muslim residents of California allege the FBI targeted them for surveillance because of their religion. It’s the second case the court has accepted for the fall involving a government claim of “state secrets,” the idea that the government can …

US high court to hear ‘state secrets’ case on Muslim surveillance
3 years, 9 months ago

US high court to hear ‘state secrets’ case on Muslim surveillance

Al Jazeera  

Supreme Court agrees to second ‘state secrets’ case on whether lawsuit claiming FBI spied on US Muslims can go forward. It is the second case the court has accepted for the fall involving a government claim of “state secrets”, the idea that the government can block the release of information it claims would harm national security if disclosed. In the …

Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah to file complaint with UN agency
3 years, 10 months ago

Guantanamo detainee Abu Zubaydah to file complaint with UN agency

Al Jazeera  

The 50-year-old Saudi-born Palestinian was detained in March 2002 on suspicion he was a senior member of al-Qaeda. Abu Zubaydah’s lawyer, Helen Duffy, said on Friday that the complaint will be filed with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention against the United States and six other countries, asking for intervention in his case. The 50-year-old Saudi-born Palestinian, whose real …

US Supreme Court to hear Palestinian Guantanamo prisoner’s case
3 years, 11 months ago

US Supreme Court to hear Palestinian Guantanamo prisoner’s case

Al Jazeera  

Abu Zubaydah wants to question two former CIA contractors who allegedly tortured him in Poland. Zubaydah and his lawyer want to question two former CIA contractors, James Mitchell and Bruce Jessen, about the operation of a secret CIA facility in Poland where they say Zubaydah was held and tortured. A Supreme Court document details how Zubaydah was held in various …

Biden will try to close Guantanamo after ‘robust’ review
4 years, 1 month ago

Biden will try to close Guantanamo after ‘robust’ review

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will seek to close the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process, resuming a project begun under the Obama administration, the White House said Friday. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said it was the “intention” of the Biden administration to close the detention facility, something President Barack Obama pledged …

White House weighs shutdown of Guantanamo prison
4 years, 1 month ago

White House weighs shutdown of Guantanamo prison

Al Jazeera  

The offshore jail symbolises the excesses of the US ‘war on terror’ because of harsh interrogation methods and torture. The Biden administration has launched a formal review of the future of the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, reviving the Obama-era goal of closing the notorious facility, a White House official said on Friday. Aides involved in internal …

Guantanamo: Biden administration says it intends to close prison
4 years, 1 month ago

Guantanamo: Biden administration says it intends to close prison

CNN  

CNN — The Biden administration intends to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, which houses approximately 40 prisoners, by the end of their term. When asked by a reporter during a press briefing on Friday if the prison would be closed by the time President Joe Biden leaves office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “That’s certainly our goal …

Biden will try to close Guantanamo prison after ‘robust’ review
4 years, 1 month ago

Biden will try to close Guantanamo prison after ‘robust’ review

LA Times  

In this photo reviewed by U.S. military officials, the Office of Military Commissions building used for Periodic Review Board hearings is seen on April 18, 2019, at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. President Biden will seek to close the prison on the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay following a review process, resuming a project begun under the …

US moves to try Bali bomb suspects at Guantanamo
4 years, 2 months ago

US moves to try Bali bomb suspects at Guantanamo

Al Jazeera  

The military trial to begin for three men held at the Guantanamo Bay, who are suspected of involvement in deadly bombings in Indonesia. The Pentagon announced on Thursday plans to move ahead with a military trial for three men held at the United States’ base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who are suspected of involvement in deadly bombings in Indonesia in …

US military announces trial for trio detained at Guantanamo Bay suspected of Indonesia terror attacks
4 years, 2 months ago

US military announces trial for trio detained at Guantanamo Bay suspected of Indonesia terror attacks

ABC  

After an unexplained delay, the US Department of Defense has announced plans to move ahead with a military trial for three men held at a base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who are suspected of involvement in deadly bombings in Indonesia in 2002 and 2003. Key points: Charges have been brought against alleged Bali bombing mastermind Hambali and two Malaysian men …

Will Joe Biden close Guantanamo Bay?
4 years, 2 months ago

Will Joe Biden close Guantanamo Bay?

Al Jazeera  

US president-elect once promised to shut down the camp and now he is under pressure to deliver. It has been 19 years since the United States opened the military detention centre at Guantanamo Bay. Amnesty International is now urging President-elect Joe Biden to fulfil a promise he made 10 years ago to close it down. Amnesty’s 62-page report says the …

Donald Trump's Guantanamo
7 years, 1 month ago

Donald Trump's Guantanamo

ABC  

When Donald Trump announced to the world he was keeping the Guantanamo Bay detention centre open, some of the inmates watched it live on the television sets in their cell blocks. "The detainees as a whole are happy to see things in the news about Guantanamo," Colonel Stephen E Gabvacis, commander of the Joint Detention Group, says. "They don't care …

Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo military prison open
7 years, 1 month ago

Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo military prison open

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a new executive order to keep open the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, marking a formal reversal of his predecessor’s eight-year effort to shut it down. They are unlawful enemy combatants.” “In the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists only to meet them again on the …

Judge pushes U.S. to explain why it’s holding an American citizen in secret in Iraq
7 years, 3 months ago

Judge pushes U.S. to explain why it’s holding an American citizen in secret in Iraq

LA Times  

A member of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces walks inside a prison in Raqqa, Syria. In a case that defense lawyers warned could create a “constitutional black hole,” a federal judge expressed exasperation Thursday at the U.S. government’s secret detention of an American citizen in Iraq for more than two months. “This is the nightmare scenario, where the government has …

Guantanamo Bay: Trump administration officials signal intent to refill Cuban prison with 'bad dudes'
7 years, 8 months ago

Guantanamo Bay: Trump administration officials signal intent to refill Cuban prison with 'bad dudes'

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Plans appear to be under …

Obama: History Will Judge Us For Not Closing Guantanamo
8 years, 2 months ago

Obama: History Will Judge Us For Not Closing Guantanamo

Huff Post  

For 15 years, the United States has detained hundreds of people at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, a facility that never should have been opened in the first place. Rather than keeping us safer, the detention facility at Guantanamo undermines American national security. Under this rigorous process, we have transferred 196 detainees from Guantanamo with arrangements designed to keep …

Obama v Trump on Guantanamo and torture
8 years, 3 months ago

Obama v Trump on Guantanamo and torture

Al Jazeera  

Andy Worthington is a freelance investigative journalist. With a month to go before the end of the Obama presidency, it is troubling that Guantanamo remains open - but although we must worry what Trump has planned, it must also be acknowledged that Obama should have closed the prison as he promised by That November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that …

Obama v Trump on Guantanamo and torture
8 years, 3 months ago

Obama v Trump on Guantanamo and torture

Al Jazeera  

Andy Worthington is a freelance investigative journalist. With a month to go before the end of the Obama presidency, it is troubling that Guantanamo remains open - but although we must worry what Trump has planned, it must also be acknowledged that Obama should have closed the prison as he promised by That November, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that …

Two more militants released from Guantanamo Bay return to conflict
8 years, 6 months ago

Two more militants released from Guantanamo Bay return to conflict

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Two former inmates at …

Tortured Guantanamo detainee asks to be freed
8 years, 7 months ago

Tortured Guantanamo detainee asks to be freed

CNN  

Story highlights Abu Zubaydah was captured in Pakistan in 2002 Pyschologists admitted physical contact during his interrogation CNN — Abu Zubaydah, an inmate at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility who is believed to have been subjected to torture after his 2002 capture in Pakistan, appeared Tuesday in public for the first time at a hearing, with his military representative saying …

Guantanamo Bay inmates to be transferred to other countries, US confirms
8 years, 11 months ago

Guantanamo Bay inmates to be transferred to other countries, US confirms

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Pentagon plans to …

Colin Powell says closing Guantanamo Bay 'in best interest' of the US
9 years, 1 month ago

Colin Powell says closing Guantanamo Bay 'in best interest' of the US

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Colin Powell, former secretary …

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