Top 10 Insane Guantánamo Bay Facts

For those unlucky enough to be detained at Guantánamo Bay, undergoing a hunger strike can be an unpleasant but effective means of protesting one’s conditions and situation. Force-feeding techniques are also common in response, and according to Democracy Now, that entailed “large feeding tubes [being] forcibly shoved up their noses and down into their stomachs, with guards using the same tubes from one patient to another.” A mass hunger strike held by detainees in 2013 yielded a force-feeding operation so large that the government subsequently declined to release information about incidents like this one. Some, including British defense attorney Clive Stafford Smith, have accused the government of fudging the numbers to reduce negative press.

For some Guántanamo Bay detainees, the American government has asserted that their imprisonment does not end their previous activities. As reported by Reuters in 2016, “111 of 532 prisoners released by the administration of President George W. Bush are confirmed to have returned to the battlefield, with 74 others suspected of doing so.” For example: Abdallah al-Ajmi, a Kuwaiti detainee accused of being a Taliban fighter who was released in 2006, reportedly committed a suicide bombing in Mosul, Iraq in 2008. However, you might want to take the government’s word with a grain of salt, as their assessment of who had returned to “terrorism” was broadly defined; it included testimonies of former detainees who had criticized their treatment at the prison.

Have you ever heard the name “Sean Baker” before? And no, we’re not referring to the “Anora” and “The Florida Project” filmmaker of the same name. Baker, who is reported to have served during the first Gulf War, was part of what was supposed to be a routine training exercise at Guántanamo Bay. Baker donned an orange jumpsuit while wearing his army uniform underneath, given the role of a fictional, insubordinate detainee. However, the soldiers being trained were misinformed, and believed Baker to be an actual detainee. Baker was beaten so severely that he suffered several seizures, and was hospitalized for nearly two months as a result.

It’s now inarguable that Guántanamo Bay is home to “Camp seven,” an area with the most intense security on the base that was initially kept secret from the public. “Camp seven” was, at one point, populated with what the U.S. government referred to as “high-value detainees,” or senior members of the terrorist group al-Qaeda. However, there may or may not exist yet another, even more secretive area: “Camp no” (the name is sort of fitting). “Camp no,” whether or not it’s real or the stuff of urban legend, is an alleged “black site,” which refers to a place where prisoners are held without due process. Attorney Scott Horton attested to the facility’s existence in 2010, and alleged that at least three detainees had been killed there.

The man born Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (although he’s known to have employed at least 50 pseudonyms) has quite the… let’s say, distinctive resume. The former Head of Propaganda for al-Qaeda, Mohammed has been accused of participating in several of the most infamous terror attacks of the past few decades, like the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, Richard Reid shoe bombing attempt, murder of Daniel Pearl, and crucially, the events of 9/11 In fact, the 2004 9/11 Commission Report referred to Mohammed as “the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks.” Arrested in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi in 2003, Mohammed has been holed up at Guántanamo since 2006, bouncing around in the legal system between life in prison — or the death penalty.

In total, 9 detainees have died while in the custody of Guantánamo Bay. One died of cancer... but the other 8 cases– 1 heart attack and 7 suicides – have been met with scrutiny, particularly the alleged suicide of three men in 2006. The NCIS investigation into the event was heavily criticized for inconsistencies. These doubts, coupled with the presence of rags in the throats of the men aroused further suspicion of foul play– suspicions that were fully expanded upon in a joint investigation by NBC and Harper’s magazine– which suggested they were tortured to death during interrogation. As of 2011, it’s believed that a technique called dry-boarding may have been used. According to ex-Guantánamo guard turned whistleblower Joseph Hickman, the triple suicide was almost certainly a cover-up.

In America, everyone has the right to a fair trial. Unfortunately for the detainees at Guantánamo Bay, that doesn’t apply to them as suspected foreign terrorists, which the U.S. view as “enemy combatants.” In some cases, individuals have been held more than a decade without charges or a trial. Under the “Authorization for Use of Military Force” or AUMF of 2001, America justifies indefinite detention, deeming their detainees to be security risks. Legal loopholes aside, Human Rights Watch and the United Nations have both called this practice illegal. Of 779 detainees, most have been released without charge. According to former Bush administration official Lawrence B. Wilkerson, many detainees were handed over to the U.S. by Pakistanis and Afghans for cash bounties, and were just “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.

Ever heard of Camp Iguana? They have outdoor activities, air-conditioning, televisions, twin beds and you can see the ocean. It’s basically sleep-away camp! Except... it’s a special section of Guantánamo Bay used to house detainees under the age of 16, who they refer to as “juvenile enemy combatants”. Call them whatever you want… they ARE children… and everywhere else in the world, taking them by force is called kidnapping, no matter how well you treat them. The parents of Asadullah Rahman searched for their son for 7 months before being informed of his whereabouts. The youngest detainee ever, he was taken at just 10 years old. In total, it’s been reported that 22 minors have been admitted.

America’s Guantánamo Bay land lease reportedly only costs $4,085 per month - an arrangement dating back to the 1903 Platt Amendment. In protest of this occupation, however, Cuba has allegedly refused to cash the checks in 55 years. Despite low rent, Guantánamo Bay is staggeringly expensive. No one seems to be able to agree on an exact figure, but the annual cost per prisoner is $900,000 according to President Obama, $2.7 million according to Democrat Representative Adam Smith and $5 million by the ACLU’s estimation. Any of these numbers are astronomical when compared to the average cost per prisoner at a maximum-security federal prison - roughly $34,000. Last tallied in 2015, Guantánamo Bay has cost the U.S. $5.6 billion.

When President Obama took office in 2009, he promised to close Guantánamo Bay. We’ve covered the wide variety of horrors perpetrated at this institution - any one of which should’ve been enough to get the place shut down. But try as he might, Obama repeatedly failed. The reason? A government divided. At every turn, Obama’s efforts were blocked, including the passing of a bill by Congressional Republicans forbidding the transfer of detainees to U.S. soil, or spending any funds to alter or build new structures to house them. With the election of Donald Trump came a promise to not only keep the prison open, but “load it up with some bad dudes”, including Americans… despite that being illegal. With 56% of Americans opposing its closure, it’ll likely stay open or even grow.


Which Guántanamo Bay fact shocked you the most? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!