As Guantánamo turns 20, all Biden needs to shut it down is political will 

On the eve of 20th anniversary of the arrival of the first men detained in the so-called war on terror in the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, we issued the following statement:

For 20 years, this monstrous creation of the U.S. government has been intentionally inflicting human suffering. Today, we think of the victims: the 780 Muslim men and boys who have faced injustice and brutality, from torture to indefinite detention to sham trials to force feeding to profound indifference, if not hostility, from U.S. political leaders. We also think of the families who have been without their loved ones for so long and do not know when or if they will see them again. In the name of our clients still there, we call on President Biden to fulfill his pledge to shut it down. He has the authority and the capacity to do so; all he needs now is the will. 

Thirty-nine men remain in the prison. Twenty-seven have not been charged. Twenty-six are survivors of CIA torture. Five are our clients.

It was a heavy week as we marked 20 years since the first Muslim men and boys were brought to the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. 

And here are a few reflections from this past week:

• Legal Director Baher Azmy’s remarkable piece in the Boston Review, “20 Years Later, Guantánamo is Everywhere”
• Senior Managing Attorney Shayana Kadidal’s “Cutting Edge Issues in Year 20 of the Guantánamo Habeas Litigation” in Just Security
• Senior Attorney Wells Dixon’s “Guantanamo Isn’t Ancient History. It Has Become a ‘Forever Prison’” in TruthOut
• “Rupture and Reckoning: Guantánamo Turns 20,” a new publication by our friends at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) featuring reflections from Vince Warren, Baher Azmy, and Katie Gallagher 
• Stories in the Associated Press, the New York Times, All Things Considered, and many more

Below are some of the events and writings where we shared space, exchanged stories, and offered analysis on where we’ve been and where we must go.

Together with our partners in struggle, we co-organized an annual rally to Disrupt, Confront, and Close Guantánamo. In “Guantánamo, Off the Record: 20 Years in the Fight,” members of our Guantánamo team shared stories that many of us hadn’t heard before.

Learn more about our work to end the indefinite detention and torture at Guantánamo on our Guantánamo issue page.

Another man approved for transfer from Guantánamo on eve of prison’s 20th anniversary 

We are pleased that our client Guled Hassan Duran has been approved for transfer from Guantánamo. Mr. Duran has never posed a threat to the U.S. or its allies, and he never should have been detained.

Mr. Duran is the first so-called “high value” detainee previously held in secret CIA detention approved for transfer through the administrative Periodic Review Board process. 

We look forward to working with the Biden administration to promptly transfer Mr. Duran and reunite him with his family.

Mr. Duran is a Somali citizen who was captured in Djibouti and rendered to the CIA in March 2004, and who has been detained without charge at Guantánamo since September 2006.

Learn more about Mr. Duran on our website.

We’re hiring! Looking for two movement lawyers 

We are thrilled to be hiring for two staff attorney positions—a special opportunity as these positions are limited. We are seeking dynamic, visionary attorneys, preferably with 7+ years of litigation experience, who are politically aligned with our mission and approach to movement lawyering. These attorneys will have demonstrated experience in racial justice, policing, immigration, economic and gender justice (including LGBTQIA+ justice), and FOIA / Open Records, or capacity to grow and master these areas in creative and accountable ways. 

Visit our website to find out more. The deadline to apply is February 10.