This week, in 1927, writer K. C. McIntosh published an article on Guantánamo for the American Mercury, in which he described a scene of U.S. sailors drinking merrily at a tavern in nearby Caimanera, Cuba. The bartenders, soaked with perspiration and the splash of upset glasses, pass out the last round. Lean, nondescript dogs, their eyes glazed with…

This week, three members of congress submitted a request to deliver a presentation to the Senate arguing that the U.S. government should broaden its powers to indefinitely detain people believed to be a threat to national security. The move seems to indicate that indefinite detention is becoming increasingly acceptable, and that Guantánamo’s exceptional legal status will…

  December 12, 2012:  The Justice Department has ruled that the Obama administration does not have to disclose video showing the forced extraction of Guantánamo Bay prison detainees because doing so would be detrimental to national security. December 10, 1903: Official control of Guantánamo Bay is “handed” to the U.S. in a ceremony on the…

On July 26, 2012, Cuba held its annual Revolution Day ceremonies. In an apparently impromptu speech at a gathering in the city of Guantánamo, President Raúl Castro announced willingness to enter into talks with the United States. A State Department spokesman responded by calling for the easing of Castro’s authoritarian rule. Repeating the Cuban government…

Two Guantánamo detainees from China, who were held for more than 10 years without charges, have been resettled in El Salvador. Both were captured in Pakistan along with 20 other Uighurs—a Muslim group who live primarily in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and have had recent troubles with the Chinese government. These men were in…

2012: This week, the Pentagon set Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s long awaited trial in motion. He and four other Guantánamo Bay detainees, accused of orchestrating the September 11, 2001 attacks, will be tried at a military tribunal instead of a civilian court. They face the death penalty if convicted. These five men are charged with organizing…

2012: Despite a recent plea deal, Omar Khadr – a former Al Qaeda “child soldier” – has not been returned to his native Canada. Khadr, now 25, was imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay naval base in 2002 after he was captured in Afghanistan. He was accused of throwing a hand grenade during a firefight, which killed…

2012: This week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta refused to transfer five Taliban detainees at Guantánamo Bay to Qatar. This announcement comes after weeks of talks, with many U.S. legislators strongly opposing the transfer. The Taliban says it is suspending talks because the U.S. has failed to move forward on its promises. Taliban officials say the…

2012: Five Guantánamo Bay detainees have agreed to be transferred to Qatar in recent talks between U.S. and Afghanistan governments. While the Afghani government and the detainees have agreed to the transfer, the U.S. has not yet confirmed the move. The five detainees are described as top Taliban officials and include former interior minister Mullah…

2012: Guantánamo Bay detainee recidivism rates have been all over the news this week, but statistics vary between reports. According to some sources, referencing a report by the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, 27.9 percent of the 599 former Guantánamo Bay detainees are believed to have returned to military activity. But according to the Associated…