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Detainees at Guantanamo Bay 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.
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Detainees at Guantanamo Bay

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.

Guantanamo Detainee Trial May Be Litmus Test

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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.

Some Guantanamo Detainees Headed For Palau

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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.

Tiny Island To Take 17 Guantanamo Detainees

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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.

1st Guantanamo Bay Detainee Arrives In N.Y.

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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.

NPR's Ari Shapiro Talks With Michele Norris About The Case On 'All Things Considered'

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Obama, Cheney: Different Views On Protecting U.S.

Two different views on national security were presented Thursday, in a pair of speeches in Washington. President Obama argued that protecting the country does not have to come at the expense of core values. Former Vice President Dick Cheney defended the Bush administration's approach to fighting terrorism after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Obama, Cheney: Different Views On Protecting U.S.

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Obama Lays Out National Security Policies

President Obama laid out his plans for handling Guantanamo detainees Thursday. Some human rights groups say Obama's policies are too similar to those of the last administration. Conservative critics say the new administration is making Americans less safe.

Obama Lays Out National Security Policies

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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.

Obama, Cheney Duel Over National Security

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Guantanamo Inmates Make Case To Spanish Court

A few years ago, Spain's National Court was given the power to investigate torture and other serious crimes anywhere in the world, even if no Spanish citizens were involved. The ruling has triggered a flood of international suits, including two cases regarding Guantanamo detainees.

Guantanamo Inmates Make Case To Spanish Court

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Obama To Lay Out Plan For Closing Guantanamo

President Obama delivers a major speech on national security issues Thursday. Many will be listening for what he says about closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The Senate complicated the president's options by blocking the transfer of any Guantanamo detainees to the United States. Congressional Republicans are now demanding that Guantanamo be kept open.

Obama To Lay Out Plan For Closing Guantanamo

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A Visit To Guantanamo As It Faces Uncertain Future

At the Guantanamo Bay prison camp, there is little outward indication of the turmoil swirling around Washington about its future. But guards say detainees keep asking whether the camp is going to close — a goal President Obama is facing growing opposition on.

A Visit To Guantanamo As It Faces Uncertain Future

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Democrats Block Funding To Close Guantanamo

In a major setback for President Obama, Senate Democrats have removed funding to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba from the emergency war spending bill. They said no money will be considered until the president sends Congress a detailed plan on where the prison's 240 detainees would go.

Democrats Block Funding To Close Guantanamo

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Senate Democrats Pull Funds To Close Guantanamo

A senior Senate Democratic leadership aide has confirmed to NPR that funding for closing down the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention facility is being removed from the 2009 supplemental appropriations bill.

David Welna reports on 'All Things Considered'

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Europe Debates Asylum For Guantanamo Detainees

European leaders hailed the Obama administration's decision to shut down the Guantanama Bay prison camp in Cuba. Now a debate is under way about whether to give asylum to detainees. If returned to their homelands, they could face prison or torture.

Europe Debates Asylum For Guantanamo Detainees

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Former Guantanamo Detainee Bombed Iraqi Base

U.S. officials sent Abdallah Al-Ajmi from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to Kuwait, where he was released. He later drove a truckload of explosives into an Iraqi army base. The case further complicates the issue of what to do with detainees once Guantanamo closes.

Former Guantanamo Detainee Bombed Iraqi Base

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Where Will The Detainees Go After Guantanamo?

President Obama has signed an executive order banning torture and calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within a year. Authorities must now decide where to send the detainees, as politicians across the country declare they're not interested.

Where Will The Detainees Go After Guantanamo?

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Gitmo Defense Attorney Weighs In On Detainees

President Barack Obama has signed an executive order to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but it is unclear what will be done with the detainees there. Emi MacLean at the Center for Constitutional Rights, who represents many Guantanamo detainees, talks about their possible fate.

Gitmo Defense Attorney Weighs In On Detainees

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Interrogations Must Follow Army Field Manual

Along with the order to shut down the Guantanamo detention camp, President Obama put a stop to the CIA's use of extreme interrogation techniques on suspected terrorists. That order requires U.S. intelligence agencies to abide by guidelines laid down in the Army Field Manual. Still, the new order left some questions unanswered.

Interrogations Must Follow Army Field Manual

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