how was guantanamo bay established

Full Answer

How did the U.S. end up with Guantánamo Bay?

The 1903 Lease Agreement gave Cuba “ultimate sovereignty” and the United States “complete jurisdiction and control” over the 45 square miles that would become the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay.

Why did they build Guantánamo Bay?

At the time, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the detention camp was established to detain extraordinarily dangerous people, to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting, and to prosecute detainees for war crimes. In practice, the site has long been used for enemy combatants.

When was Guantánamo Bay built?

The Guantánamo Bay Naval Base was constructed in 1898, however Guantánamo Bay only began to receive its reputation of human rights abuses in 2002, when the Guantánamo Bay detention camp was reopened.

Why does Cuba allow Guantanamo?

Guantanamo Bay is a mostly Constitution-free zone The 1898 Guantanamo Bay lease agreement created a paradox over who has legal authority on the base by stipulating that Cuba retains “ultimate sovereignty” over the territory while the U.S. has “complete jurisdiction.”

How long is the U.S. lease on Guantánamo Bay?

The 1903 lease has no fixed expiration date, it can only be ended if the US Navy decided to abandon the area or both countries agreed mutually to end the lease.

Who set up Guantánamo Bay?

Relations between the two nations seemed to improve … until 1959. Cuban President Fulgencio Batista played an important role in establishing the revised lease for Guantanamo Bay, but was soon overthrown in 1959 after a violent revolution.

How much does Guantánamo Bay cost?

According to reports, the prison costs over $500 million per year to operate, at a staggering annual cost of $13 million per prisoner, over 350 times the cost of incarcerating a prisoner at a maximum-security facility in the United States.

Who owns the land at Guantánamo Bay?

The U.S. rights in Guantanamo are clear and indisputable. By a treaty signed in 1903 and reaffirmed in 1934, the U.S. recognized Cuba's “ultimate sovereignty” over the 45-sq. -mi.

How many Guantanamo Bay are left?

As of July 25, 2022, 35 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. This list of Guantánamo prisoners has the known identities of prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, but is compiled from various sources and is incomplete.

Is Guantanamo Bay on U.S. soil?

And while there has been a continuous American presence at Guantánamo Bay since U.S. forces took it in a Spanish-American war battle in 1898, it's technically leased territory.

Why is Guantanamo Bay not Cuban?

The US took Guantánamo Bay in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. After Cuba gained independence in 1903, they leased 45 square miles on the bay to the US for construction of a naval station.

Why is Guantanamo Bay considered a US territory?

control, it is not technically American territory because the U.S. rents the land from the Cuban government under a coerced agreement signed in 1903, following the 1898 Spanish–American War. This uncertain legal status is one of the reasons Guantánamo Bay was chosen as a detention site; it allowed the U.S. government to claim that the individuals held there were not entitled to certain rights guaranteed under American laws. However, outside observers have pointed out that the degree to which American laws are applied in Guantánamo varies widely depending on circumstances.

Why was Guantanamo Bay chosen as a detention site?

This uncertain legal status is one of the reasons Guantánamo Bay was chosen as a detention site; it allowed the U.S. government to claim that the individuals held there were not entitled to certain rights guaranteed under American laws. However, outside observers have pointed out that the degree to which American laws are applied in Guantánamo ...

What obstacles did Obama face in closing Guantanamo Bay?

One obstacle Obama faced in trying to close the prison was the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, which banned the transfer of imprisoned men at Guantánamo Bay military prison to U.S. soil. This obstacle to the closure of the prison remains in place.

What is the impact of Guantanamo Bay?

by Bridge Initiative Team. Published on 18 Jul 2020. IMPACT: Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, located in Cuba, was chosen as the site of a detention center due to its uncertain legal status—allowing the U.S. government to argue that those detained at the base were not entitled to certain rights under U.S. laws. The prison at the base consists of several ...

What executive order did Trump sign to close Guantanamo?

In 2018 Trump signed Executive Order 13823 overturning Obama’s order to close the prison and authorizing the government to “transport additional detainees” to Guantánamo Bay. In 2017 Trump’s Department of State also dismantled the Office of the Special Envoy for Guantánamo Closure, which was responsible for organizing the release ...

What was the first prison camp built?

Camp X-Ray was the first camp built, and consisted mainly of cells made from chain link fencing. It was images of Camp X-Ray that prompted the first major public outcry against the prison. Keeping the Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp open is extremely costly. Since 2002 it has cost the United States $6 billion, and the yearly cost ...

How many Haitian refugees were there at the camp?

Cubans seeking asylum were also sent there. At its peak, the camp held around twelve thousand Haitian refugees. Additionally, a separate camp housed around 300 Haitian refugees who were found to be HIV positive in what has been called “an HIV prison camp.”.

What was the purpose of Guantanamo Bay?

The stable acoustic conditions for echo ranging made the sea areas close to Guantanamo Bay ideal for training ships’ crew in anti-submarine warfare, and deploying convoys to the Southern Atlantic. Post-WWII, the Fleet Training Group was established to train Navy units, and the excellent amphibious training opportunities provided by adjacent islands led to staging of the 1st Marine Division at the Naval base. The Fleet Training Group was the bane of many a sailor -- the Navy’s version of finals and the SAT rolled into one. Liberty in town was a welcome respite for sailors who spent long tours underway, training under the demanding and often career-ending eye of the Fleet Training Group.The agreement, later confirmed by the Treaty of 1934 between the United States and Cuba, in effect gives the United States a perpetual lease on this reservation, capable of being voided only by our abandoning the area or by mutual agreement between the two countries. After taking power, Castro refused to recognize the treaty that established the base. He also refused to cash any of the U.S. checks after the Bay of Pigs Incident in 1961. The Castro government maintains that the perpetual lease provision of the Treaty of 1934 for the base is illegal.

What is the significance of Guantanamo Bay?

Despite the explorer’s disappointment, the discovery of the protected bay opened it as a safe haven for pirates and British Navy alike in the years that followed.

How many Marines were in Guantanamo Bay?

America’s interest came later, during the Spanish-American War in 1898, when a battalion of 647 Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay and tied down 7,000 Spanish troops in Guantanamo City, thus protecting Teddy Roosevelt’s charge up San Juan Hill 40 miles to the west.

What was the Navy's response to Guantanamo?

Some felt much of what the base provided could be shifted to Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico or naval bases state-side. The Navy’s response to the reduced usefulness of Guantanamo was a program called Minimum Pillar Performance or MPP. For the Navy, it meant the base was in a caretaker status, with only the barest of resources to maintain the provisions of the 1934 treaty. The treaty would be the bedrock -- under pressure from the Department of State, the Navy would not reduce the base beyond its ability to comply with the treaty's tenets. As early as 1996, discussions were ongoing within the Marine Corps about the elimination or reduction of the position in Guantanamo -- a natural continuation of the Gulf War downsizing. These internal conversations centered on the perception of a non-existent threat from the Cuban forces arrayed around the base. These forces, ostensibly to counter the U.S. presence, actually served the primary purpose of stopping Cuban asylum seekers.

What was the purpose of the Cuban lease?

Signed by President Theodore Roosevelt, the initial lease enabled the US to contribute to the defense of Cuba through the maintenance of “coaling and naval stations.” A key element of this agreement was the passing to the United States of "complete jurisdiction and control over and within said areas." The only restrictions on the United States were that the area be used only as a coaling and naval station, and vessels engaged in trade with Cuba would retain free passage through the bay encompassed by the reservation. A subsequent agreement, signed by President Roosevelt on October 2, 1903, expanded on the initial lease, stipulating, among other things, a rent of two thousand dollars in gold each year, and that fugitives from Cuban justice, fleeing to the U.S. reservation, would be returned to Cuban authorities.

When did the Southern Command take custody of Guantanamo Bay?

On January 4, 2002, U.S. Southern Command was directed to take custody of designated detainees within the United States Central Command area of responsibility, and to escort and hold the detainees at Guantanamo Bay for further disposition.

Is Guantanamo Bay a treaty?

The final chapter on Guantanamo Bay has yet to be written. The treaty remains, a separate bilateral diplomatic issue from the current one that rubs raw both international and domestic critics, and that means the base will likely endure beyond the detention facility. A final disposition on the detention facility needs to be made before any future of the base can even be considered. The U.S's future relationship with Cuba awaits that decision: termination of the lease remains unviable while detainees remain on Guantanamo Bay. However, the strong chorus of "not in my backyard," regardless of the international stigma, means President Obama’s commitment to closure is restrained by domestic political realities, regardless of his personal ideals. Divorced from the detention facility, Guantanamo Bay will remain a symbol for Cuban ex-patriates and conservatives who see the base as a planted flag against communism – the last gasp of the Cold War. Guantanamo Bay remains, for the time being, the least worst place.

What was the significance of Guantanamo Bay?

During the Spanish–American War, the U.S. fleet attacking Santiago secured Guantánamo 's harbor for protection during the hurricane season of 1898. The Marines landed at Guantanamo Bay with naval support, and American and Cuban forces routed the defending Spanish troops. There is a monument on McCalla Hill to one Navy officer and five Marines who died in battle at Guantanamo Bay.

How much rain does Guantanamo Bay get?

U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay has an annual rainfall of about 24 in (610 mm). The amount of rainfall has resulted in the base being classified as a semi-arid desert environment. The annual average high temperature on the base is 88.2 °F (31.2 °C), the annual average low is 72.5 °F (22.5 °C).

What was the name of the gun that was destroyed in the Guantanamo Bay fire?

USS Monongahela (1862), an old warship which served as a storeship at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was totally destroyed by fire on 17 March 1908. A 4-inch (100 mm) gun was salvaged from her wreck and put on display at the Naval Station. Since the gun was deformed by the heat from the fire, it was nicknamed "Old Droopy". The gun was on display on Deer Point until the command disposed of it, judging its appearance less than exemplary of naval gunnery. A similar gun, possibly also salvaged from the Monongahela, is on display near the Bay View Club on the Naval Station.

When was McCalla Field established?

McCalla Field was established in 1931 and remained operational until 1970. The airfield was named for Bowman H. McCalla, who was a United States Navy admiral in charge of the Battle of Guantánamo Bay. The current field was expanded in 1941 when the original grass runway was replaced. Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay was officially established 1 February 1941. Aircraft routinely operating out of McCalla included JRF-5, N3N, J2F, C-1 Trader, and dirigibles.

How to access the Naval Station?

Access to the Naval Station is very limited and must be pre-approved through the appropriate local chain of command with the Commander of the station as the final approval. Since berthing facilities are limited, visitors must be sponsored indicating that they have an approved residence for the duration of the visit.

Which article describes the boundaries of the areas being leased, Guantanamo Bay and Bahia Honda?

Article 1 – Describes the boundaries of the areas being leased, Guantanamo Bay and Bahia Honda.

Who were the people born at the Naval Base?

Notable people born at the naval base include actor Peter Bergman and American guitarist Isaac Guillory.

Where is Guantanamo Bay?

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( Spanish: Centro de detención de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and "Gitmo" ( / ˈɡɪtmoʊ / ), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.

When did the first 20 people go to Guantanamo Bay?

legal jurisdiction, military guards took the first twenty detainees to Camp X-Ray on 11 January 2002.

How many prisoners are in Guantanamo Bay?

In May 2018, a prisoner was transferred during Trump's term. 40 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. In early February 2021, the administration of US President Joe Biden declared its intention to shut down the facility.

What is the name of the camp in Guantanamo Bay?

Detention areas consisted of Camp Delta including Camp Echo , Camp Iguan a, and Camp X-Ray, which is now closed.

Why was Camp Delta established?

At the time of its establishment in January 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the detention camp was established to detain extraordinarily dangerous people, to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting, and to prosecute detainees for war crimes.

How many units are there in Camp Delta?

Camp Delta was a 612-unit detention center finished in April 2002. It included detention camps 1 through 4, as well as Camp Echo, where detainees not facing military commissions are held.

When did Guantanamo get a writ of habeas corpus?

On 19 February 2002, Guantanamo detainees petitioned in federal court for a writ of habeas corpus to review the legality of their detention. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the detainees' petitions on 30 July 2002, finding that aliens in Cuba had no access to U.S. courts.

What is Guantanamo linked to?

Guantanamo has become indelibly linked to allegations of mistreatment and abuse of detainees before and during their time at the detention facility. Many of the alleged abuses, including torture, occurred during interrogations conducted by the CIA and U.S. military, which were tasked with gaining intelligence to disrupt the al-Qaeda network and prevent another mass-casualty terrorist attack.

Who was the first Guantanamo detainee to be subjected to military interrogation techniques?

Qahtani was the first Guantanamo detainee to be subjected to the military’s aggressive interrogation techniques, which critics, including some U.S. officials, have described as torture.

Why did the Bush administration drop the charges against Qahtani?

The Bush administration charged Qahtani with terrorism and war crimes in 2008, but the Obama administration dropped the charges because some of the evidence had been obtained through torture. Qahtani continues to be held at Guantanamo without charge based on the threat he is said to pose to U.S. national security.

What were the two decisions that were made at Guantanamo?

Bush administration made two decisions that are core to Guantanamo’s controversies: the first was the selection of the site itself; the second was the determination that the Geneva Conventions did not apply to the detention of al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners. Much of the legal thinking behind those decisions was rebuffed by the U.S. Supreme Court years later.

Who was KSM in Guantanamo?

KSM is one of the five men held at Guantanamo charged with orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, including allegations that he conceived the plot, proposed it to bin Laden, and oversaw its execution. His influence within al-Qaeda first came to light in the late 1990s, after he was indicted in absentia in U.S. federal court for planning to blow up a dozen commercial jets flying routes between the United States and Asia.

Where did the CIA interrogate detainees?

The CIA conducted its interrogations of “high-value detainees” at black sites in foreign countries including Thailand and Poland, and later transferred some of those detainees to Guantanamo. Meanwhile, the military oversaw interrogations of detainees at Guantanamo. Outside of the authorized interrogation methods, until 2009, some detainees were reportedly also subjected to unapproved, harsher interrogation tactics, as well as abusive disciplinary actions.

Is Guantanamo a monument to human rights?

To its critics, however, it stands as a haunting monument to human rights violations perpetrated by the United States in the name of national security. Over the years, many detainees have claimed that they were detained unlawfully, denied due process, and subjected to grave physical and psychological abuses—some amounting to torture—by their American captors. As a result, critics say, Guantanamo has undermined U.S. influence and moral authority in many parts of the world.

What is Guantanamo Military Commission?

The Guantanamo military commissions are military tribunals authorized by presidential order, then by the Military Commissions Act of 2006, and currently by the Military Commissions Act of 2009 for prosecuting detainees held in the United States Guantanamo Bay detainment camps .

How many people were detained at Guantanamo?

Of the 779 men detained at Guantanamo at some point since the prison opened on January 11, 2002, thirty two total have been charged in the military commissions. Charges were dismissed in 12 of those cases, and stayed in another. The U.S. government has procured eight convictions total, six of which were achieved through plea agreements with the defendants. U.S. federal courts have overturned several of the eight convictions in whole or in part.

What was Rumsfeld's docket 05-194?

Rumsfeld Docket 05-194, with a 5-3 decision for the detainee Salim Ahmed Hamdan. It effectively declared that trying Guantanamo Bay detainees under the existing Guantanamo military commission (known also as Military Tribunal) was illegal under US law, including the Geneva Conventions.

Why is an acquittal not a guarantee of release?

Because the accused are charged as unlawful combatants (a certain category of people who are not classified as prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions ), then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in March 2002 that an acquittal on all charges by the commission is no guarantee of a release.

Does Guantanamo have a military trial?

The Guantanamo military trials under the 2006 MCA do not operate according to either system of justice. The differences include: Unlike civilian courts, only two-thirds of the jury needs to agree in order to convict someone under the military commission rules.

Overview

History

U.S. control of Guantánamo Bay

See also

External links