labour MP john McDonald wants to shut down #GuantanamoBay

#thelabourparty #johnmcdonlad #GuantanamoBay The Guantanamo Bay detention camp (Spanish: Centro de detención de la bahía 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. Of the 780 people detained there since January 2002 when the military prison first opened after the September 11, 2001 attacks, 731 have been transferred elsewhere, 39 remain there, and 9 have died while in custody.[1]

The camp was established by U.S. President George W. Bush's administration in 2002 during the War on Terror following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Indefinite detention without trial and torture led the operations of this camp to be considered a major breach of human rights by Amnesty International, and a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution by the Center for Constitutional Rights.[2][3]

Bush's successor, U.S. President Barack Obama, promised that he would close the camp, but met strong bipartisan opposition from the U.S. Congress, which passed laws to prohibit detainees from Guantanamo being imprisoned in the U.S. During President Obama's administration, the number of inmates was reduced from about 245[4] to 41.[5]

In January 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the detention camp open indefinitely.[6] In May 2018, a prisoner was repatriated to Saudi Arabia during Trump's term.[7]

In early February 2021, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden declared his intention to shut down the facility before he leaves office.[8] In July 2021, an additional detainee was released.[9]

In December 2021, the New York Times reported the Pentagon is building a second facility courtroom, in which the public will not be allowed to view the proceedings.[10]