Former Guantanamo prisoners condemn Trump’s order to detain undocumented individuals in military prison.
We, the undersigned former prisoners of Guantanamo, firmly condemn US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, which aims to expand Guantanamo Bay detention facilities for undocumented individuals.
Guantanamo Bay is not simply a prison; it is a place where the rule of law is distorted, dignity is taken away, and suffering remains behind barbed wire. We have lived through it; we know what it feels like to be confined without charge, without trial, and without hope.
The same system that took years from our lives is now being extended to imprison migrants – people seeking refuge only to be sent to a location that exists outside the law, designed to strip them of their rights. Guantanamo Bay doesn’t just permit abuse; it institutionalizes cruelty. This executive order doesn’t only enable injustice; it ensures it.
Detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay denies them the constitutional protections they are entitled to, trapping them in the same legal ambiguity we faced. This calculated uncertainty facilitates abuse, just as it did in our case. We know exactly what occurs when a system is devised to break people. This is not about security; it is about power, control, and utilizing Guantanamo Bay’s darkness to conceal another injustice.
This decision results from the impunity the US has enjoyed for crimes committed at Guantanamo. The prison’s continued operation since it remains open and the lack of accountability for its legacy have not only prolonged these injustices but have now allowed them to expand. Guantanamo Bay should have been closed long ago; instead, it is being reopened for new victims.
We will not remain silent. We refuse to let others experience the same nightmare we did. No one deserves to be subjected to a system designed to erase them. We will continue to speak up and fight against this. We will not allow Guantanamo Bay’s atrocities to be repeated.
Close Guantanamo Bay. End indefinite detention. Cancel this order.
We are not just survivors of Guantanamo Bay. We are witnesses. And we will not let the world forget.
In solidarity,
Mansoor Adayfi (GTMO441)
Moazzam Begg
Ahemed Errachidi
Lakhdar Boumediene
Ghaleb Al Bihani
Hisham Sliti
Abdul Latif Nasr
Sufyian Barhoumi
Hussein Yafai
Abdul-Almalik Abud
Ayoob Mohammed
Tarek Dergoul
Mohsin Alaskari
Djamel Ameziane
Hammami Hedi
Omar Deghayes
The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
Guantanamo Bay is not simply a prison; it is a place where the rule of law is distorted, dignity is taken away, and suffering remains behind barbed wire. We have lived through it; we know what it feels like to be confined without charge, without trial, and without hope.
The same system that took years from our lives is now being extended to imprison migrants – people seeking refuge only to be sent to a location that exists outside the law, designed to strip them of their rights. Guantanamo Bay doesn’t just permit abuse; it institutionalizes cruelty. This executive order doesn’t only enable injustice; it ensures it.
Detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay denies them the constitutional protections they are entitled to, trapping them in the same legal ambiguity we faced. This calculated uncertainty facilitates abuse, just as it did in our case. We know exactly what occurs when a system is devised to break people. This is not about security; it is about power, control, and utilizing Guantanamo Bay’s darkness to conceal another injustice.
This decision results from the impunity the US has enjoyed for crimes committed at Guantanamo. The prison’s continued operation since it remains open and the lack of accountability for its legacy have not only prolonged these injustices but have now allowed them to expand. Guantanamo Bay should have been closed long ago; instead, it is being reopened for new victims.
We will not remain silent. We refuse to let others experience the same nightmare we did. No one deserves to be subjected to a system designed to erase them. We will continue to speak up and fight against this. We will not allow Guantanamo Bay’s atrocities to be repeated.
Close Guantanamo Bay. End indefinite detention. Cancel this order.
We are not just survivors of Guantanamo Bay. We are witnesses. And we will not let the world forget.
In solidarity,
Mansoor Adayfi (GTMO441)
Moazzam Begg
Ahemed Errachidi
Lakhdar Boumediene
Ghaleb Al Bihani
Hisham Sliti
Abdul Latif Nasr
Sufyian Barhoumi
Hussein Yafai
Abdul-Almalik Abud
Ayoob Mohammed
Tarek Dergoul
Mohsin Alaskari
Djamel Ameziane
Hammami Hedi
Omar Deghayes
The views expressed in this article are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.
