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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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Special Series

Detainees at Guantanamo Bay

Tuesday

Covering A Terrorism Hearing At Guantanamo Bay

A sketch by courtroom artist Janet Hamlin shows Omar Khadr (left) at a hearing with his defense team in the courthouse for the U.S. military war crimes commission at Guantanamo Bay. Janet Hamlin/Pool/AP hide caption

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Janet Hamlin/Pool/AP

Covering A Terrorism Hearing At Guantanamo Bay

Fresh Air

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.

Covering A Terrorism Hearing At Guantanamo Bay

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Tuesday

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.

Roadblocks May Keep Guantanamo Prison Open

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Tuesday

Tuesday

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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Saturday

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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Wednesday

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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Tuesday

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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Friday

Friday

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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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: 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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Thursday

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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