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Illegal Detention

Guantanamo Periodic Review Board Hearings Fail to Meaningfully Review Detention

By Julia McKay This Tuesday the Periodic Review Board (PRB) held a hearing for Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Ahmad Rabbani. Rabbani is a 49-year-old Pakistani citizen who was born and raised in Saudi Arabia.…

Blog

Defense Authorization Includes Rights-Respecting Provisions on Guantanamo, Military Involvement at Southern Border

Washington, D.C.—Human Rights First today welcomed provisions in the House of Representatives’ defense bill (The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA) that bolster national security and uphold America’s commitment to…

Press

Guantanamo’s Sole High-Value Cooperator Faces Contested Sentencing

By Holly Bauer Last week I traveled to Guantanamo Bay to observe the military commission pre-sentencing hearings for Maryland resident Majid Khan. Most of the proceedings covered classified topics, so neither the defendant…

Blog

Another GTMO Detainee Opts Out of the Review Process

By Alexa Potter Last week, I attended a Periodic Review Board (PRB) hearing for Suhayl Abdul Anam Al Sharabi, a 42-year-old Yemeni national who has been held at Guantanamo for sixteen years. Al…

Blog

New Year, Same Gitmo

By Claire Gianotti The new year began at Guantanamo with pre-trial hearings in the military’s prosecution of Abd al Hadi al-Iraqi. The proceedings focused on whether Hadi was physically competent…

Blog

Fit For Court? Another Medical Emergency in Guantanamo

By Elaina Stephenson Earlier this month, I traveled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to observe the military proceedings in the Abd al Hadi al Iraqi case. The Hadi case is unusual in and…

Blog

Leaving Guantanamo: Detainees’ Right to Medical Treatment

By Nathan Lewis Every year for the past five years, the Senate has included in its version of the annual defense spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a…

Blog

PRBs Continue, But to What End?

The Periodic Review Board (PRB) convened on Tuesday to assess the status of Uthman Abd al-Rahim Muhammad Uthman, a 37-year-old Yemeni detained at Guantanamo since January 2002. This PRB session, the eighth under…

Blog

Guantanamo Periodic Review Boards

What are the Periodic Review Boards? President Barack Obama created the Guantanamo Periodic Review Board (PRB) process through Executive Order 13567 on March 7, 2011. Congress then codified this order in section…

Fact Sheets

Democracy Protection

Is Anyone Hearing Us Down Here? Lawlessness in Guantanamo

The military commission system at the prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is a ticking time bomb. On Friday, one of its cases exploded when Judge Vance Spath abated the proceedings…

Blog

Dropped Charges, Overturned Convictions, and Delayed Trials in Guantanamo Military Commissions

Those eager for swift justice against accused terrorism suspects have at times called for sending suspects to the military commission system in Guantanamo based on fears that suspects may be…

Fact Sheets

The Trump Administration’s Executive Order on Guantanamo

During the 2016 presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump pledged to “load [Guantanamo] up with some bad dudes.” Just prior to his first State of the Union address, President Trump signed Executive…

Fact Sheets