The Guantanamo Files

The Stories of the Two Somalis Freed From Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 12.21.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

The release of two more men yet again demonstrates how hysterical and unsubstantiated are Republican claims that Guantánamo is full of hardcore terrorists.

"Model Prisoner" at Guantanamo, Tortured in the "Dark Prison," Loses Habeas Corpus Petition

Andy Worthington | Posted 12.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Al-Madhwani joins eight other prisoners in a legal netherworld, no longer regarded as "enemy combatants" by the administration, but still detained indefinitely as though they were.

Who Are the Six Uighurs Released From Guantanamo to Palau?

Andy Worthington | Posted 11.04.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

I am drawing together here the stories of six men who, nearly eight years after their wrongful and mistaken capture, are finally free from Guantánamo, even if an uncertain future awaits them.

No Escape From Guantanamo: The Latest Habeas Rulings

Andy Worthington | Posted 11.10.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Rulings made by District Court judges in the habeas corpus appeals of prisoners held at Guantánamo seemed to confirm that the courts were uniquely placed to deliver justice to the prisoners.

Who Are the Two Syrians Released From Guantanamo to Portugal?

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.19.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Their stories, as revealed in publicly available documents from Guantánamo, reveal that neither man had any connection whatsoever to international terrorism.

Bagram Isn't The New Guantanamo, It's The Old Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.15.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

From what I have been able to gather about the workings of Bagram, I have no reason to conclude that the prison is now being run according to the Geneva Conventions.

Release of the "Holy Grail" of Torture Reports Delayed Again

Andy Worthington | Posted 08.01.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Today was supposed to be the day that the Justice Department -- after two delays -- released an unclassified version of the CIA Inspector General's 2004 Report into the interrogations of "high-value detainees."

Judge Orders Release from Guantanamo of Al-Qaeda Torture Victim

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.25.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

In over three years of researching and reporting about the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, I learned that many of the men were "Mickey Mouse" prisoners, with no connection to terrorism whatsoever.

Empty Evidence: The Stories of the Saudis Released From Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.18.2009 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Khalid Saad Mohammed seized from a hospital in Pakistan and sold to the U.S. military. But the authorities in GITMO had never managed to build up a credible case against him.

Forgotten: The Second Anniversary of a Guantanamo Suicide

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.30.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Today, unnoticed in the Western media (although I can't vouch for the Arabic world) is the second anniversary of the death at Guantánamo -- apparently by suicide -- of Abdul Rahman al-Amri.

Judge Gladys Kessler Releases Yemeni Detainee, Slams "Mosaic" Of Guantanamo Intelligence And Unreliable Witnesses

Andy Worthington | Posted 06.14.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

I am surprised that senior Obama officials seem to have been content to let a Bush-era approach to prosecution survive unchanged.

Guantanamo Detainee Files Could Be Destroyed By Government

Pro Publica | Posted 06.07.2009 | World


A stockpile of documents about hundreds of Guantanamo Bay detainees, some authored by the prisoners themselves, could be destroyed under a little-know...

Chaos and Lies: Why Obama Was Right To Halt The Guantanamo Trials

Andy Worthington | Posted 02.22.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

In one of his first acts as president, Obama ordered prosecutors in Guantanamo's Military Commission trials to ask for a four-month stay on all proceedings.

Judge Orders Release of Guantanamo's Forgotten Child

Andy Worthington | Posted 02.15.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Just two weeks ago, in a habeas corpus case in a Washington D.C. court, Judge Richard Leon turned the clock back to January 11, 2002 (the day Guantán...

Seven Years of Guantanamo, Seven Years of Torture and Lies

Andy Worthington | Posted 02.11.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

Seven years later, it should be abundantly clear that none of the defenders of Guantanamo who indulged in hysterical rhetoric had any idea what they were talking about.

The Dying Days of the Guantanamo Trials

Andy Worthington | Posted 02.09.2009 | World


Andy Worthington

The Military Commissions to try Guantanamo detainees have rarely grabbed the media attention that a novel, flagship program to try "terror suspects" should have attracted.

How Guantanamo Can Be Closed: More Advice for Barack Obama

Andy Worthington | Posted 12.21.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Several prominent human rights and legal organizations launched a campaign in Berlin on November 10, aimed at persuading European countries to accept cleared prisoners from Guant�namo.

Why Guantanamo Must Be Closed: Advice for Barack Obama

Andy Worthington | Posted 12.18.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

In an attempt to separate fact from fiction, I'd like to offer my advice, based on the three years I have spent studying Guantanamo in unprecedented detail.

Two 50 Year Olds Are Released From Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 11.08.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Like at least 120 other prisoners seized in Pakistan, their long imprisonment never had anything to do with al-Qaeda or the war in Afghanistan.

Guantanamo trials: another insignificant Afghan charged

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.15.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The Military Commissions at Guantánamo -- the trial system for "War on Terror" prisoners that was established in the wake of the 9/11 attacks -- are ...

Two Afghans Released from Guantanamo: a Farmer and a Teenager

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.08.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

The stories of the two Afghans released with Madni -- though involving slightly less brutality -- do nothing to justify the United States' detention policies in the "War on Terror."

Victim of Rendition and Torture Freed from Guantanamo

Andy Worthington | Posted 10.04.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

News that three more prisoners have been released from Guantánamo is cause for celebration, as all three men should never have been held in the first...

Clearing Out Guantanamo: Two More Algerians Transferred

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.27.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

As part of its alleged "desire not to hold detainees any longer than necessary," the Pentagon announced on Tuesday that two Guantánamo prisoners had ...

Guantanamo Suicide Report: Truth or Travesty?

Andy Worthington | Posted 09.25.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

Two years and two months after three prisoners at Guantánamo died, apparently as the result of a coordinated suicide pact, the Naval Criminal Investi...

Guantanamo: Repatriation as Russian Roulette

Andy Worthington | Posted 07.15.2008 | Politics


Andy Worthington

In the disturbing game of Russian roulette that confronts Algerians repatriated after facing allegations of impropriety (however groundless), they could face torture, show trials and further imprisonment.