The Ongoing Legacy of Guantánamo Bay: A Snapshot of The Detainees' Situation

Sun Jul 13 2025 17:39:59 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)
The Ongoing Legacy of Guantánamo Bay: A Snapshot of The Detainees' Situation

With only 15 detainees remaining, Guantánamo Bay's controversial detention center continues to operate amidst political challenges to its closure.


Despite a significant reduction in the number of detainees, the future of Guantánamo Bay remains uncertain, hindered by Congressional restrictions and political commitments to close the facility.


The Pentagon's detention operation at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which once held hundreds of individuals apprehended in the course of the U.S.-led war on terrorism, is now down to just 15 prisoners as it prepares to mark 24 years since its inception. Established under President George W. Bush, Guantánamo quickly became a focal point of international scrutiny. While President Barack Obama attempted to close it, he faced considerable obstacles, and President Donald Trump's promises to repopulate it with "bad dudes" ultimately did not materialize. President Biden has expressed a desire to fulfill Obama's aim of closure, yet his administration is similarly stymied by a congressional ban on transferring prisoners to the U.S. mainland, suggesting that the costly offshore facility may continue its operation indefinitely.

Currently, the prisoners at Guantánamo are aged between 45 and 63, hailing from various nations including Afghanistan, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and Yemen. Among them is a stateless Rohingya individual and a Palestinian. Most of these detainees were previously held in the CIA’s clandestine prison network, with claims that they represent the "worst of the worst." Of the 15 detainees, five are implicated in the September 11 attacks, including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who allegedly orchestrated the plot. There's also a Saudi national accused in the infamous bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, both cases still pending trial.

Given the political landscape, coupled with existing legislative barriers, the future of Guantánamo remains precarious as the facility continues to house those whose fates remain entangled in a complex legal and political web, potentially continuing operations until the last detainee has passed away.

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