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An American flag hangs on a wall behind barbed wire.

State Secrets and the Torture of Abu Zubaydah

More than any case to have reached the Supreme Court, Abu Zubaydah’s case demonstrates the need to carefully scrutinize what information the Executive Branch can legitimately…
The old courtroom building, pictured through an opening from inside an airplane hangar used for media activities at Camp Justice, site of the US war crimes tribunal compound at Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba, April 9, 2014. A guard stands at the opening of the hanger.

Torture Evidence and the Guantanamo Military Commissions

Burying evidence of torture, while surreptitiously admitting the fruits of torture is not what a decent legal system does. Bringing to justice those accused of atrocious crimes…
US psychologist James Mitchell speaks with an interviewer at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC on December 6, 2016.

Stopping Torture: Why Professional Governance Failed, and How It Can Do Better

Professionals -- psychologists, physicians, lawyers -- played key parts in enabling post-9/11 torture programs. Yet professionalism can also constrain state power. Gregg Bloche…
Razor wire lines the fence of the "Gitmo" maximum security detention center on October 22, 2016 at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A U.S. flag is on the wall behind the fence.

A Letter to President Biden from a Former Intelligence Officer: Close Guantanamo Bay

There is shame in the knowing. There is greater shame in knowing, and doing nothing. Mr. President, you can do something. End this horrible era of American history.

Biden Team’s Litigation Tactics on Guantanamo Undercut Biden Policy to Close the Prison

The administration's new moves before Supreme Court raise questions about whether it will more broadly decline to use straightforward tools to close Guantanamo and end indefinite…
The detainee hospital's operating room is seen in Camp Delta which is part of the U.S. military prison for 'enemy combatants' on June 26, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Why Guantánamo Detainees Should Have Access to COVID Vaccines Part II: Federal Law and DoD Policies

In addition to a violation of the law of armed conflict and unsound policy, there's another reason the DOD's decision to suspend vaccination plans for Guantánamo detainees is…

Why Guantánamo Detainees Should Have Access to COVID Vaccines Part I: Law of Armed Conflict and Good Policy

The laws of war require vaccinating Guantanamo detainees. So do policy imperatives — including the U.S. military's own self-interests.
The empty courtroom of the Commissions building where on Tuesday preliminary hearings will begin for four detainees held on the Naval Base is seen August 22, 2004 in Guantanamo, Cuba. Six flags stand at the front of the room.

How to Fix the U.S. Litigation Position in Key Pending Cases

The Biden administration has the opportunity, and responsibility, to disavow the Trump administration’s dangerous litigation positions and the ideologies they reflect in these…
A watch tower is seen in the currently closed Camp X-Ray at the U.S. Naval Station on June 27, 2013 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Barbed wire can be seen in both the background and foreground of the photo.

On Guantanamo’s 19th Anniversary, A Renewed Call to Close It

Nineteen years ago today, the administration of President George W. Bush sent the first detainees to the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center for the purpose of detaining them beyond…
Members and supporters of The Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture hold a rally to demand Congressional action to stop torture on Capitol Hill March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. A banner reads, “Torture is un-American.”

On Accountability and the Next Presidency, Starting With the Cabinet

To truly “Build Back Better,” as Biden promised, he must not nominate, appoint, or otherwise hire anyone for his administration who has seriously abused power.
Neomi Rao, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, testifies during a Senate Judiciary confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on February 5, 2019 in Washington, DC.

The D.C. Circuit, Conspiracy, and the Guantanamo Military Commissions: Third Time’s the Charm?

Eleven years since Congress authorized the third generation of post-9/11 Guantanamo military commissions, the substantive law governing them remains in doubt. The case of Bahlul…
The entrance near the new courtroom at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Jurisdiction at Guantanamo: The Case of Long-Term Complicity

The commission should stop asking whether the acts of facilitation occurred during an armed conflict. Rather, the commission should be asking whether the defendants facilitated…
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