Guantánamo by the Numbers: What You Should Know & Do About Guantánamo

779 or so men have been brought to and held in Guantánamo since January 2002, all of whom were Muslim

604 men have been transferred from Guantánamo

166 men remain imprisoned at Guantánamo

92* percent of the men ever held in Guantánamo are not “Al-Qaeda fighters,” by the U.S. government’s own records

86 men have been cleared for release from Guantánamo but remain in detention, including 56 men from Yemen

46 men are slated for indefinite detention without charge or trial. The government claims they can neither be released nor prosecuted

22 or more prisoners were under 18 when captured

12 or more men fear torture or persecution in their countries of nationality. These men will remain in detention until other countries offer them safe havens and a chance to rebuild their lives

10 years or more is the length of time most men have been held at Guantánamo without charge or trial

9 men have died in the prison, more than the number convicted in military commissions

2 men have been forcibly transferred by the Obama administration to Algeria, despite their credible fears of abuse in Algeria.

0 senior government officials have been held accountable for the wrongful detention and torture at Guantánamo

0 men detained have been transferred under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

*Seton Hall University School of Law, Report on Guantánamo Detainees, 2006.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO ... 

1. CONTACT the White House and tell President Obama that he must fullfill his promise to shut down Guantánamo. Tell the President that unless he meets his unfulfilled promise to close Guantánamo by releasing all the men he does not intend to try in a fair court, his legacy will be marred forever. The President must end indefinite detention without charge or a fair trial, and shut Guantánamo down.

2. WRITE Secretary of State John Kerry and demand that the State Department:

• Publicly disclose the identities of all 86 detained men approved for transfer, and take immediate steps to release them. Even President Bush disclosed this information; President Obama should not have made it secret. Having released a partial list of names, the government should take the next step of releasing the men themselves.
• Transfer detained men who have countries willing to accept them. Over half of the men imprisoned at Guantánamo have been cleared for release, and most could leave tomorrow if the blanket ban on repatriations to Yemen were lifted,and if the government did more to facilitate resettlement for the men who need safe homes in new countries. The Obama administration has effectively ceased transfers, and this is a trend that must be reversed.
• Announce an end to forced repatriations of men to countries where they fear torture, including Algeria. About 12 detained men have expressed strong fears of returning to their countries of origin, and they should not be repatriated against their will. The Obama administration has already forcibly repatriated two Algerian men and CCR's client Djamel Ameziane fears that same fate. This policy of forcible transfers must end.

ADDRESS: Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington DC 20520

 

3. CONTACT Attorney General Eric Holder and demand the Department of Justice hold U.S. officials accountable for torture and other serious violations of international law at Guantánamo and other U.S. detention sites. The Attorney General should appoint an independent prosecutor with a full mandate to investigate & prosecute those responsible for torture & other war crimes as far up the chain of command as the facts may lead. DoJ must also reverse its policy of opposing civil actions brought against U.S. officials by victims of the U.S. torture program or families of those who died at Guantánamo.

ADDRESS: Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20530. EMAIL: [email protected] . NUMBER: Public Comment Line (202) 353-1555

 

4. SIGN and DISTRIBUTE our petition “Open Letter on the Death of Guantanamo Bay prisoner Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif”