Protestors dressed in orange with black hoods over their heads hold a sign that says

Detention at Guantánamo Bay

Investigations

U.S. Congress and the Executive Branch continue to wrestle with questions about the appropriate laws and policies to address the treatment and status of detainees who have been held at the U.S. military installation at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Throughout the years, the Human Rights Center has published several studies and commentaries on the effects Guantánamo Bay has on detainees.

Guantánamo and Its Aftermath

HRC’s study Guantánamo and Its Aftermath: U.S. Detention and Interrogation Practices and Their Impact on Former Detainees was a collaborative effort with the International Human Rights Law Clinic at Berkeley Law and the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights. The report presents findings from a two-year study of detainees once they left U.S. custody and is some of the only rigorous empirical data regarding this prisoner population. Through research and interviews with former detainees and key informants, the study explores the impact of detention on detainees, families, and communities, and recommends appropriate legal mechanisms, detention practices, and policies to protect the human rights of detainees taken into U.S. custody during the ‘war on terror.’ The report was released on November 12, 2008, at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC

Several men in U.S. army uniforms walk inside a gated area.
U.S. troops at the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba. (Louie Palu/ZUMA photo).

Partners

Logo of Human Rights Center UC Berkeley School of Law
International Human Rights Law Clinic University of California, Berkeley, School of Law
Center for Constitutional Rights

Coalition-Building and Advocacy

In April 2009, the Human Rights Center joined a coalition of 18 other human rights, faith-based, and justice organizations in calling on the Obama administration to establish a commission on accountability to investigate torture sanctioned by the Bush administration. In 2014, the Human Rights Center, the International Human Rights Law Clinic, and the Center for Constitutional Rights, submitted a shadow report to the UN Committee against Torture in Geneva.

News

(Reuters/Shane T. McCoy)

February 25, 2015

“When I returned home, it was another hell”: Now’s the time to talk about what we do after Guantánamo

Commentary — Salon: “When I returned home, it was another hell”: Now’s the time to talk about what we do after Guantánamo, authored by Eric Stover and Alexa Koenig.

Protestors dressed in orange with black hoods over their heads hold a sign that says

January 29, 2015

A commitment to justice means more than just closing Gitmo

Commentary — San Francisco Chronicle: A commitment to justice means more than just closing Gitmo, authored by Eric Stover and Laurel Fletcher.

An illustration with a blurred city background, and various triangles layered on top.

November 7, 2013

The breaking of bodies and minds: Task force report confirms complicity of U.S. medical personnel in torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment

Commentary — Berkeley Blog: The breaking of bodies and minds: Task force report confirms complicity of U.S. medical personnel in torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, authored

(Reuters/Shane T. McCoy)

February 6, 2013

Department of Justice ‘White Paper’ Full of Contradictions

Commentary — U.S. World News: Department of Justice ‘White Paper’ Full of Contradictions, authored by Alexa Koenig.

Several men in U.S. army uniforms walk inside a gated area.

June 11, 2009

There’s no escaping Guantánamo

Commentary — Los Angeles Times: There’s no escaping Guantánamo, authored by Eric Stover and Laurel Fletcher. U.S. troops at the

People stand in orange jumpsuits and carry signs that read

March 23, 2009

International Human Rights Law Clinic Students Brief Policymakers on Guantánamo

HRC in the News — Berkeley Law: International Human Rights Law Clinic Students Brief Policymakers on Guantánamo, reporting on HRC and International Human Rights Law Clinic’s work on

A guard tower surrounded by chicken wire.

November 21, 2008

Closing Gitmo Is Not Enough

International New York Times, Closing Gitmo Is Not Enough, authored by Eric Stover and Laurel Fletcher. A guard tower over Camp Delta, Guantánamo Bay Detention Center

A guard tower surrounded by chicken wire.

November 12, 2008

New report details shattered lives of released Guantanamo detainees

HRC in the News — Berkeley News: New report details shattered lives of released Guantanamo detainees, reporting on the report “Guantanamo and Its Aftermath: U.S. Detention and

Eric Stover

November 12, 2008

Guantanamo and Its Aftermath

Commentary — C-SPAN: Guantanamo and Its Aftermath, Human rights experts released their report Guantánamo and Its Aftermath: U.S. Detention and Interrogation Practices and Their Impact on