NPR Series: Detainees at Guantanamo Bay https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4711397 President Barack Obama has signed an executive order closing the prison that houses suspected terrorists picked up mostly on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. But closing Guantanamo is not as easy as freeing the prisoners and turning out the lights. en Copyright 2024 NPR - For Personal Use Only Story API Shim 1.2.24 Mon, 07 Apr 2025 15:38:39 -0400 https://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/primary/npr_generic_image_300.jpg?s=200 NPR Series: Detainees at Guantanamo Bay https://www.npr.org/series/4711397/detainees-at-guantanamo-bay Covering A Terrorism Hearing At Guantanamo Bay Omar Khadr has been held at Guantanamo Bay for eight years. He is accused of killing an American solider in Afghanistan at age 15. A pretrial hearing for Khadr started last month, and journalist Spencer Ackerman says it's likely to indicate whether President Obama's changes to the military commissions are substantive or simply cosmetic. Tue, 11 May 2010 12:00:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2010/05/11/126723694/covering-a-terrorism-hearing-at-guantanamo-bay https://www.npr.org/2010/05/11/126723694/covering-a-terrorism-hearing-at-guantanamo-bay Omar Khadr has been held at Guantanamo Bay for eight years. He is accused of killing an American solider in Afghanistan at age 15. A pretrial hearing for Khadr started last month, and journalist Spencer Ackerman says it's likely to indicate whether President Obama's changes to the military commissions are substantive or simply cosmetic.

]]> Roadblocks May Keep Guantanamo Prison Open In Obama's first week in office, he vowed to close Guantanamo within a year. That deadline has passed. Now with Congress pushing against trying alleged Sept. 11 plotters in civilian courts and the administration having trouble finding countries willing to accept detainees, it looks like the prison may not close anytime soon. Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2010/02/02/123268250/roadblocks-may-keep-guantanamo-prison-open https://www.npr.org/2010/02/02/123268250/roadblocks-may-keep-guantanamo-prison-open In Obama's first week in office, he vowed to close Guantanamo within a year. That deadline has passed. Now with Congress pushing against trying alleged Sept. 11 plotters in civilian courts and the administration having trouble finding countries willing to accept detainees, it looks like the prison may not close anytime soon.

]]> Ari Shapiro Future Detainee Prison Will Go Beyond 'Supermax' The White House plans to transfer a limited number of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to an underutilized state prison in rural Illinois. It will be transformed into a facility that will "exceed perimeter security standards at the nation's only 'supermax' prison in Florence, Colo.," officials say. Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:21:00 -0500 https://www.npr.org/2009/12/15/121454635/future-detainee-prison-will-go-beyond-supermax https://www.npr.org/2009/12/15/121454635/future-detainee-prison-will-go-beyond-supermax The White House plans to transfer a limited number of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba to an underutilized state prison in rural Illinois. It will be transformed into a facility that will "exceed perimeter security standards at the nation's only 'supermax' prison in Florence, Colo.," officials say.

]]> Guantanamo Detainee Trial May Be Litmus Test The Southern District of New York has been handling terrorism trials for about as long as al-Qaida has been a threat to the U.S. The trial there for Ahmed Ghailani may become the model for how some Guantanamo detainees might be tried and imprisoned in this country. Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:01:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/06/16/105435325/guantanamo-detainee-trial-may-be-litmus-test https://www.npr.org/2009/06/16/105435325/guantanamo-detainee-trial-may-be-litmus-test The Southern District of New York has been handling terrorism trials for about as long as al-Qaida has been a threat to the U.S. The trial there for Ahmed Ghailani may become the model for how some Guantanamo detainees might be tried and imprisoned in this country.

]]> Dina Temple-Raston Some Guantanamo Detainees Headed For Palau The tiny island nation of Palau (pop. 21,000) has agreed to take in Uighur detainees from Guantanamo. The Uighurs, Muslim separatists from western China, have been judged not to be enemy combatants — i.e., they are not a threat to the United States — but Congress won't allow them to settle here and most other countries won't accept them for fear of angering China, which regards them as terrorists and demands their repatriation for trial. NPR's Michael Sullivan talks with NPR's Scott Simon about what awaits the Uighurs in Palau. Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/06/13/105366964/some-guantanamo-detainees-headed-for-palau https://www.npr.org/2009/06/13/105366964/some-guantanamo-detainees-headed-for-palau The tiny island nation of Palau (pop. 21,000) has agreed to take in Uighur detainees from Guantanamo. The Uighurs, Muslim separatists from western China, have been judged not to be enemy combatants — i.e., they are not a threat to the United States — but Congress won't allow them to settle here and most other countries won't accept them for fear of angering China, which regards them as terrorists and demands their repatriation for trial. NPR's Michael Sullivan talks with NPR's Scott Simon about what awaits the Uighurs in Palau.

]]> Tiny Island To Take 17 Guantanamo Detainees The Pacific island nation of Palau says it will temporarily resettle a number of detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. The 17 Uighurs are Turkic Muslims from northwestern China, captured after the Sept. 11 attacks but found not to be enemy combatants. They can't be returned to China for fear that they might be executed. Wed, 10 Jun 2009 06:00:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/06/10/105188932/tiny-island-to-take-17-guantanamo-detainees https://www.npr.org/2009/06/10/105188932/tiny-island-to-take-17-guantanamo-detainees

The Pacific island nation of Palau says it will temporarily resettle a number of detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. The 17 Uighurs are Turkic Muslims from northwestern China, captured after the Sept. 11 attacks but found not to be enemy combatants. They can't be returned to China for fear that they might be executed.

]]> Louisa Lim 1st Guantanamo Bay Detainee Arrives In N.Y. According to the Justice Department, the first Guantanamo Bay detainee is in New York to face trial for bombing U.S. embassies. Officials said Ahmed Ghailani arrived early Tuesday morning. Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:31:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/06/09/105147971/1st-guantanamo-bay-detainee-arrives-in-n-y https://www.npr.org/2009/06/09/105147971/1st-guantanamo-bay-detainee-arrives-in-n-y According to the Justice Department, the first Guantanamo Bay detainee is in New York to face trial for bombing U.S. embassies. Officials said Ahmed Ghailani arrived early Tuesday morning.

]]> Jackie Northam Gitmo Detainee Pleads Not Guilty In Bombings The first Guantanamo detainee scheduled for trial in a civilian court in the U.S. pleaded not guilty Tuesday to involvement in the 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Ahmed Ghailani entered the plea in a federal court in Manhattan hours after being brought to New York from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:21:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/06/09/105145278/gitmo-detainee-pleads-not-guilty-in-bombings https://www.npr.org/2009/06/09/105145278/gitmo-detainee-pleads-not-guilty-in-bombings The first Guantanamo detainee scheduled for trial in a civilian court in the U.S. pleaded not guilty Tuesday to involvement in the 1998 bombings at U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya. Ahmed Ghailani entered the plea in a federal court in Manhattan hours after being brought to New York from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

]]> Deborah Tedford Obama Uses Trip To Push For Guantanamo Help President Obama says he has not asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make "hard commitments" on allowing terrorism suspects from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be transferred to Germany. Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:36:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/06/05/105017330/obama-uses-trip-to-push-for-guantanamo-help https://www.npr.org/2009/06/05/105017330/obama-uses-trip-to-push-for-guantanamo-help

President Obama says he has not asked German Chancellor Angela Merkel to make "hard commitments" on allowing terrorism suspects from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be transferred to Germany.

(Image credit: Saul Loeb)

]]> Deborah Tedford Obama, Cheney Duel Over National Security President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney each presented a vision about how best to keep America safe. The two men gave speeches about a mile and 30 minutes apart Thursday, but at times it seemed as though they were debating. <em>Washington Post</em> columnist Dana Milbank talks with Steve Inskeep about what the two had to say. Fri, 22 May 2009 06:00:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/2009/05/22/104426601/obama-cheney-duel-over-national-security https://www.npr.org/2009/05/22/104426601/obama-cheney-duel-over-national-security President Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney each presented a vision about how best to keep America safe. The two men gave speeches about a mile and 30 minutes apart Thursday, but at times it seemed as though they were debating. Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank talks with Steve Inskeep about what the two had to say.

]]>