As soon as it opened, the controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay was prompting international outcry from those who believed that the prisoners were being held beyond the reach of legal protection. Below is a timeline marking the key events in the prison’s history, including the legal challenges, detainee releases and political events that led to President Obama’s executive order to close the prison on just his second day in office.

 

2001-2002

13th November 2001: President Bush issues a military order on the “Detention, Treatment and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens, in the War Against Terrorism”. The order authorizes the US to hold foreign nationals in custody without charge indefinitely, and prevents them from undertaking any legal process to challenge their detention.

28th December 2001: A memorandum from the US Justice Department to the Pentagon explains that prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay are not eligible for habeas corpus rights because they are not on US soil.

11th January 2002: The first 20 detainees arrive at Guantánamo Bay’s Camp X-Ray and are held outdoors in wire mesh cages.

18th January 2002: The International Committee of the Red Cross begins visiting prisoners in Guantanamo Bay.

18th January 2002: President Bush rules that the Guantanamo prisoners do not qualify as prisoners of war and are not entitled to the protection of the Geneva Convention.

27th January 2002: Vice President Dick Cheney describes the prisoners as “the worst of a very bad lot,” adding that: “They are very dangerous. They are devoted to killing millions of Americans.”

19th February 2002: The Center for Constitutional Rights files Rasul v. Bush, a habeas petition, in the Washington circuit court on behalf of David Hicks (ISN# 002), Shafiq Rasul (ISN# 086) and Asif Iqbal (ISN# 087).

21st February 2002: US Federal judge dismisses the challenge to the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

21st March 2002: The Bush administration announces new military tribunal regulations.

5th April 2002: Prisoner Yaser Esam Hamdi (ISN# 009) is transferred from Guantánamo to military custody on the mainland after it is discovered he was born in the US state of Louisiana.

25th April 2002: Construction of the new Camp Delta, a permanent prison facility with a capacity of more than 400, is completed.

28th April 2002: Detainees are moved from Camp X-Ray to the new prison.

11th June 2002: Hamdi, now held on US territory, files a writ of habeas corpus.

1st August 2002: A memorandum from the Justice Department to then White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales advises that the President can authorize a wide range of “enhanced interrogation techniques” that would not amount to torture and therefore not be prosecutable under US law. Even if torture did occur, the memorandum argues, the theory of “necessity” or “self-defence” could be used to eliminate any criminal liability.

15th September 2002: Abdul Razaq (ISN# 356) is repatriated to Afghanistan.

28th October 2002: Mohammad Saghir (ISN# 143) is repatriated to Pakistan. Jon Mohammad Barakzai (ISN# 107), Mohammed Sadiq (ISN #349) and Haji Faiz Mohammed (ISN# 657) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

2nd December 2002: Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld approves a range of interrogation techniques for use at Guantánamo including sensory deprivation, isolation, stress positions and the use of dogs to “induce stress”.

 

2003

11th March 2003: Federal appeals court rules that the detainees have no legal rights in the United States.

23rd March 2003: Solaiman Dur Mohammed Shah (ISN# 119), Sharghulab Mirmuhammad (ISN# 313), Ezat Khan (ISN# 314), Yarass Ali Must (ISN# 315), Ehsanullah (ISN# 350), Nassir Malang (ISN# 355), Mohammed Sargidene (ISN# 358), Abdullah Edmondada (ISN# 360), Murtazah Abdul Rahman (ISN# 361), Shaibjan Torjan (ISN# 362), Shai Jahn Ghafoor (ISN# 363), Badshah Wali (ISN# 638), Neyaz Walijan (ISN# 640), Mirza Mohammed (ISN# 644), Mohamed Kabel (ISN# 645), Bismillah (ISN# 658), Said Abasin (ISN# 671) and Alif Khan (ISN# 673) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

May 2003: Guantánamo prison population reaches 680 detainees.

9th May 2003: Shabidzada Usman (ISN# 012), Sha Mohammed Alikhel (ISN# 019) and Jihan Wali (ISN# 444) are repatriated to Pakistan. Mohammed Raz Mohammed Kakar (ISN# 364), Mohammed Yusif Yaqub (ISN# 367), Sultan Mohammed (ISN# 517), Abdul Karim (ISN# 520), Ehssanullah (ISN# 523), Abdul Hanan (ISN# 531), Nematullah Sahib Khan Alizai (ISN# 628), Mahngur Alikhan (ISN# 629), Rostum Akhtar Mohammed (ISN# 632) and Mohammed Tahir (ISN# 643) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

14th May 2003: Mishal Muhammad Rashid al Shedoky (ISN# 071), Fahd Abdallah Ibrahim al Shabani (ISN# 080), Fawaz Abd al Aziz al Zahrani (ISN# 125), Ibrahim Rushdan Brayk al Shili (ISN# 127) and Ibrahim Umar Ali al Umar (ISN# 585) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

1st July 2003: Abdullah Tabarak (ISN# 056) is repatriated to Morocco. Fael Roda al Waleeli (ISN# 663) is transferred to an unknown country.

3rd July 2003: Bush designates six alleged Al Qaeda terrorists eligible for the first military tribunals since World War Two.

16th July 2003: Jamal Muhammad Al Deen (ISN# 016), Asad Ullah (ISN# 047), Tariq Khan (ISN# 097), Abdul Raziq (ISN# 099), Mohammed Raz (ISN# 106), Ghaser Zaban Safollah (ISN# 134), Mohammad Kashef Khan (ISN# 146), Faik Iqbal (ISN# 210), Ali Ahmed (ISN# 303), Mohammed Ansar (ISN# 304), Abdul Mowla (ISN# 442) and Sajin Urayman (ISN# 545) are repatriated to Pakistan. Mohammed Raz (ISN# 106), Ghuladkhan (ISN# 316), Mohammadullah (ISN# 347), Abdul Waheed (ISN# 353), Sabit Layar (ISN# 365), Mahmud Sadik (ISN# 512), Noor Ahmad (ISN# 580), Abdul Rahman Noorani (ISN# 582), Noor Habib Ullah (ISN# 626), Nisar Rahmad (ISN# 630), Mohammed Nayim Farouq (ISN# 633), Mohammad Akhbar (ISN# 635), Nathi Ghul (ISN# 636), Azizullah Asekzai (ISN# 646) and Kari Mohammed Sarwar (ISN# 667) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Salah Hudin (ISN# 021) is transferred to an unknown country.

September 2003: It emerges that two translators and a Muslim chaplain who worked at Guantánamo have been arrested on charges relating to espionage and improper use of classified documents. The case against the chaplain later unravels.

9th October 2003: The Red Cross warns of the “deterioration in the psychological health of a large number of detainees.”

10th November 2003: US Supreme Court agrees to hear appeals in the Guantánamo case.

18th November 2003: Mohammed Ishaq (ISN# 020), Munir Bin Naseer (ISN# 085), Ejaz Ahmad Khan (ISN# 135), Hafice Leqeat Manzu (ISN #139), Majid Mehmood (ISN# 624) and Tila Mohammed Khan (ISN# 830) are repatriated to Pakistan. Janan Taus Khan (ISN# 124), Abdul Hadi Muhamed Rasul Sayed (ISN# 352), Nabu Abdul Ghani (ISN# 354), Juma Khan (ISN# 443), Khirullah Akah (ISN# 518), Insanullah (ISN# 637), Hamidullah (ISN# 642), Abdul Baqi (ISN# 656), Hezbullah (ISN# 666) and Wazir Zalim Ghul (ISN# 677) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Yuksel Celik Gogus (ISN# 291) and Ibrahim Shafir Sen (ISN# 297) are repatriated to Turkey. Abdurahman Khadr (ISN# 990) is transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hassan Khalil Mohamoud Abdul Hamid (ISN# 711) and Mohammed Haji Yousef (ISN# 820) are transferred to unknown countries.

30th November 2003: Munir Bin Naseer (ISN# 085) and Tarik Mohammad (ISN#136) repatriated to Pakistan. Tarik Mohammad (ISN# 136) and Ayman Mohammad Silman al Amrani (ISN# 169) are transferred to unknown countries.

3rd December 2003: David Hicks becomes the first Guantanamo prisoner to be given a lawyer.

2004

12th January 2004: Five military lawyers assigned to defend detainees say that they believe that some of the rules drawn up for the military tribunals are unconstitutional.

28th January 2004: Asad Ullah (ISN# 912), Naqib Ullah (ISN# 913) and Mohammed Ismail (ISN# 930) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

13th February 2004: Ahmad Abd al Rahman Ahmad (ISN# 267) is repatriated to Spain.

23rd February 2004: The Bush administration brings the first charges against detainees. Ali Hamza al-Bahlul (ISN# 039) from Yemen and Ibrahim al-Qosi (ISN# 054) from Sudan are charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes.

24th February 2004: Slimane Hadj Abderrahmane (ISN# 323) is repatriated to Denmark.

27th February 2004: Rasul Kudayev (ISN# 082), Ravil Shafeyavich Gumarov (ISN# 203), Almasm Rabilavich Sharipov (ISN# 209), Ruslan Odizhev (ISN# 211), Aiat Nasimovich Vahitov (ISN# 492), Rustam Akhmyarov (ISN# 573) and Timur Ravilich Ishmurat (ISN# 674) are repatriated to Russia.

9th March 2004: Shafiq Rasul (ISN# 086), Asif Iqbal (ISN# 087), Rhuhel Ahmed (ISN# 110), Jamal Malik al Harith (ISN# 490) and Tarek Dergoul (ISN# 534) are repatriated to the UK.

14th March 2004: Israr Ul Haq (ISN# 515), Mohammad Abas (ISN# 542) and Ali Mohammed (ISN# 634) are repatriated to Pakistan. Abdullah Mehsud (ISN# 092), Haji Mohammed Khan Achezkai (ISN# 104), Yamatolah Abulwance (ISN# 116), Aziz Khan Ali Khan Zumarikourt (ISN# 348), Abdullah Ghofoor (ISN# 351), Hazrat Sangin Khan (ISN# 366), Mohammad Nasim (ISN# 453), Hamdullah (ISN# 456), Ataullah Adam Gul (ISN# 525), Amanullah Alikozi (ISN# 538), Bismillah (ISN# 639), Abdul al Hameed Mohammed Andarr (ISN# 668), Osman Khan (ISN# 818), Noor Aslaam (ISN# 822), Barak (ISN# 856), Bar Far Huddine (ISN# 896), Abdul Rahim (ISN# 897), Zakim Shah (ISN# 898), Peta Muhammed (ISN# 908), Akhtar Mohammad (ISN# 969), Haji Mohammed Wazir (ISN# 996) and Mirwais Hasan (ISN# 998) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Bakhtiar Bamari (ISN# 623), a citizen of Iran, is transferred to Afghanistan. Mohammed Sadiq Adam (ISN# 454) is transferred to an unknown country.

31st March 2004: Osam Abdul Rahan Ahmad (ISN# 1018) is repatriated to Jordan. Mahmud Nuri Mart (ISN# 543) is repatriated to Turkey. Walid Mohammed Shahir (ISN# 1014) is repatriated to Yemen. Sadee Eideov (ISN# 665), Moyuballah Homaro (ISN# 729), Mazharudin (ISN# 731) and Shirinov Ghafar Homarovich (ISN# 732) are repatriated to Tajikistan. Muhammed al Ghazali Babaker Mahjoub (ISN# 700) and al Rachid Hasan Ahmad Abdul Raheem (ISN# 714) are repatriated to Sudan. Sohab Mahud Mohhamed (ISN# 563) and Haydar Jabbar Hafez al Tamimi (ISN# 648) are repatriated to Iraq. Emdash Abdullah Turkash (ISN# 500), Abdul Qadir Yousef Hussein (ISN# 715) and Menhal al Henali (ISN# 726) are transferred to unknown countries.

28th June 2004: Supreme Court rules in Rasul v. Bush that the federal courts have the authority to decide whether non-US citizens detained in Guantánamo Bay are wrongfully imprisoned, and in Hamdi v. Rumsfeld that the Executive Branch does not have the power to hold indefinitely a US citizen without basic due process protections enforceable through judicial review.

6th July 2004: Mehdi Mohammad Ghezali (ISN# 166) is repatriated to Sweden.

7th July 2004: The Pentagon launches military panels, known as Combatant Status Review Tribunals or CSRTs, to determine the “enemy combatant” status of each prisoner.

17th July 2004: Yusef Nabied (ISN# 083) and Abdul Karim Irgashive (ISN# 641) are repatriated to Tajikistan.

26th July 2004: Mourad Benchellali (ISN# 161), Imad Achab Kanouni (ISN# 164), Nizar Sassi (ISN# 325) and Brahim Yadel (ISN# 371) are repatriated to France.

31st July 2004: Mohamed Ibrahim Awzar (ISN# 133), Mohammed Mizouz (ISN# 294), Radwan al Shakouri (ISN# 499) and Ibrahim Bin Shakaran (ISN# 587) are repatriated to Morocco.

13th August 2004: CSRTs begin. The tribunal involves three officers who present the unclassified summary evidence against the detainee and question him about his role in events. The three judge panel then decides whether the detainee is an enemy combatant or if he may be released. They are permitted to rely on classified or coerced evidence against detainees denied legal representation.

17th September 2004: Abdul Sattar (ISN# 010), Abdul Sattar Nafeesi (ISN# 011), Zafar Iqbal (ISN# 014), Muhammed Ijaz Khan (ISN# 017), Mohammed Sayed (ISN# 018), Isa Khan (ISN# 023), Hafiz Ihsan Saeed (ISN# 098), Mohammed Ashraf (ISN# 100), Mohammed Irfan (ISN# 101), Sarfaraz Ahmed (ISN# 113), Mohammed Tariq (ISN# 137), Salahodin Ayubi (ISN# 138), Said Saim Ali (ISN# 140), Haseeb Ayub (ISN# 141), Fazaldad (ISN# 142), Mohammad Il Yas (ISN# 144), Hamood Ullah Khan (ISN# 145), Mohammed Arshad Raza (ISN# 147), Kay Fiyatullah (ISN# 247), Abid Raza (ISN# 299), Zahid Sultan (ISN# 300), Khalil Rahman Hafez (ISN# 301), Mohamed Ijaz (ISN# 302), Hanif Mohammed (ISN# 305), Mohammed Rafiq (ISN# 495), Aminullah Amin (ISN# 504), Mohammed Anwar (ISN# 524), Bacha Khan (ISN# 529), Mohammed Omar (ISN# 540), Mohammed Noman (ISN# 541), Sultan Ahmad (ISN# 842), Saghir Ahmed (ISN# 843), Bashir Ahmad (ISN# 1005), Mohammed Irfan (ISN# 1006), Mohammed Akbar (ISN# 1011) are repatriated to Pakistan.

18th September 2004: Mohamman Daoud (ISN# 527), Dawd Gul (ISN# 530), Noor Allah (ISN# 539), Wali Mohammed (ISN# 547), Badruzzan Badr (ISN# 559), Din Mohammed Farhad (ISN# 699), Mohammed Khan (ISN# 910), Abdul Samad (ISN# 911), Haji Niam Kuchi (ISN# 931), Bismaullah (ISN# 960) and Amanullah (ISN# 970) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

27th October 2004: Four former British detainees launch legal action against the US government. In the first case of its kind, Rasul, Iqbal, Ahmed and al Harith each demand £5.5m as compensation for alleged torture and other human rights violations. The Pentagon declares that the men are not entitled to a payout because they were captured “in combat”.

8th November 2004: US District Judge James Robertson orders the halt of the military commissions, saying they are unlawful and cannot continue in their current form.

 

2005

16th January 2005: Nasser Najiri Amtiri (ISN# 205) is repatriated to Kuwait.

25th January 2005: Feroz Abbasi (ISN# 024), Moazzam Begg (ISN# 558), Richard Belmar (ISN# 817) and Martin Mubanga (ISN# 10007) are repatriated to the UK.

27th January 2005: Mamdouh Ibrahim Ahmed Habib (ISN# 661) is repatriated to Australia.

7th March 2005: Ridouane Khalid (ISN# 173) and Khaled Ben Mustafa (ISN# 236) are repatriated to France. Mustaq Ali Patel (ISN# 649) is repatriated to France; determined no longer an enemy combatant.

11th March 2005: Abdur Sayed Rahaman (ISN# 581) is repatriated to Pakistan and Haji Jalil (ISN# 1117) is repatriated to Afghanistan; determined no longer enemy combatants. Ibrahim Fauzee (ISN# 730) is repatriated to the Maldives.

29th March 2005: The CSRT process is completed. Of the 558 detainees assessed, 38 were judged as “no longer enemy combatants” and were made eligible for release.

18th April 2005: Salih Uyar (ISN# 298) is repatriated to Turkey; determined no longer an enemy combatant. Mohammed Gul (ISN# 457), Gul Zaman (ISN# 459), Padsha Wazir (ISN# 631), Qalandar Shah (ISN# 812), Shahwali Zair Mohammed Shaheen Naqeebyllah (ISN# 834), Rasool Shahwali Zair Mohammed Mohammed (ISN# 835), Abdul Qudus (ISN# 929), Haji Shahzada (ISN# 952), Hammdidullah (ISN# 953), Mohammad Nasim (ISN# 958), Kako Kandahari 9ISN# 986), Feda Ahmed (ISN# 1013), Nasibullah (ISN# 1019), Habib Noor (ISN# 1041) and Hukumra Khan (ISN# 1157) are repatriated to Afghanistan; determined no longer enemy combatants. Abdul Rahman (ISN# 357) and Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost (ISN# 561) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

19th April 2005: The Associated Press lauches legal action against the Department of Defense in an attempt to force the release of transcripts and other documents related to Guantanamo military hearings.

25th April 2005: Mosa Zi Zemmori (ISN# 270) and Mesut Sen (ISN# 296) are repatriated to Belgium.

20th May 2005: The Associated Press lawsuit results in the release of nearly 2,000 pages of documents, although detainees’ names and nationalities blacked out. The documents include excerpts from prisoners’ testimonies.

15th July 2005: Judge Robertson's order to halt military commissions is overturned by the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit Court.

18th July 2005: Laacin Ikassrin (ISN# 072), a citizen of Morocco, is transferred to Spain.

19th July 2005: Habib Rasool (ISN# 120) and Muhibullah (ISN# 546) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Khalid Sulayman Jaydh al Hubayshi (ISN# 155) and Mishal Awad Sayaf Alhabiri (ISN# 207) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia. Khalid Mahomoud Abdul Wahab Al Asmr (ISN# 589) is repatriated to Jordan and Hammad Ali Amno Gadallah (ISN# 712) is repatriated to Sudan; determined no longer enemy combatants.

20th July 2005: Saleh Abdall Al Oshan (ISN# 248) is repatriated to Saudi custody; determined no longer an enemy combatant.

19th August 2005: Maroof Saleemovich Salehove (ISN# 208) is repatriated to Tajikistan. Karam Khamis Sayd Khamsan (ISN# 586) is repatriated to Yemeni custody; determined no longer an enemy combatant. Mohamed Anwar Kurd (ISN# 676) is repatriated to Iran.

29th August 2005: US District Judge Jed S. Rakoff orders the government to ask each prisoner whether they want personal information that could used to identify them to be released to the Associated Press. Of 317 detainees who received the form, 63 said yes, 17 said no, 35 returned the form without answering and 202 did not return the form.

11th September 2005: Abdul Salam Zaeef (ISN# 306) is repatriated to Afghanistan.

30th September 2005: Sami Abdul Aziz Salim Allaithy (ISN# 287) is repatriated to Egypt.

2nd November 2005: Abdulaziz Sayer Owain al Shammari (ISN# 217), Abdallah Saleh Ali al Ajmi (ISN# 220), Mohammad Finaytal al Dehani (ISN# 229), Adel Zamel Abd al Mahsen al Zamel (ISN# 568), Saad Madi Saad al Azmi (ISN# 571) are repatriated to Kuwait.

4th November 2005: Adil Kamil al-Wadi (ISN# 060), Abdullah al Noaimi (ISN# 159) and Sheikh Salman Ebrahim Mohamed Ali al Khalifa (ISN# 246) are repatriated to Bahrain. Maji Afas Radhi al Shimri (ISN# 181) is repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

7th November 2005: The Supreme Court announces it will hear Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.

10th November 2005: US Senate approves an amendment that continues to withhold the right for the prisoners to file habeas corpus petitions.

14th November 2005: District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly rules that the Pentagon cannot resume Hicks's military commission proceeding until the Supreme Court rules on its constitutionality in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.

30th December 2005: The Detainee Treatment Act comes into law. The Act bans the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of prisoners, but severely curtails their right to challenge their detention.

 

2006

7th February 2006: Najib Mohammad Lahassihi (ISN# 075), Muhammad Hussein Ali Hassan (ISN# 123) and Mohammed Souleimani Laalami (ISN# 237) are repatriated to Morocco. Jamal Abdullah Kiyemba (ISN# 701) is repatriated to Uganda.

8th February 2006: Khan Zaman (ISN# 460), Khudai Dad (ISN# 655), Abdul Salaam (ISN# 826), Abdullah Khan (ISN# 950), Abdul Bagi (ISN# 963), Kushky Yar (ISN# 971) and Sharbat (ISN# 1051) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

23rd February 2006: The Pentagon is ordered to release the identities of hundreds of Guantanamo prisoners to the Associated Press as a result of its Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

15th February 2006: UN Report recommends closure of Guantánamo.

3rd March 2006: The Pentagon releases over 5,000 pages of unedited transcripts of at least 317 hearings at Guantanamo to the Associated Press.

28th March 2006: The Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld.

20th April 2006: The Department of Defense releases the names of 558 people who have been held at Guantánamo Bay.

5th May 2006: Ahmed Adil (ISN# 260), Akhdar Qasem Basit (ISN# 276), Mohammed Ayub (ISN# 279), Abu Bakr Qasim (ISN# 283) and Adel Abdulhehim (ISN# 293) are transferred to Albania; determined no longer enemy combatants.

18th May 2006:

Abdel Hadi Mohammed Badan al Sebaii Sebaii (ISN# 064), Ibrahim Daif Allah Neman al Sehli (ISN# 094), Abdul Rahman Uthman Ahmed (ISN# 095), Adnan Mohammed Ali (ISN# 105), Saed Khatem al Malki (ISN# 157), Fahd Salih Sulayman al Jutayli (ISN# 177), Adil Uqla Hassan al Nusayri (ISN# 308), Mohammed Jayed Sebai (ISN# 319), Khalid Abdallah Abdel Rahman al Morghi (ISN# 339), Abdallah Ibrahim al Rushaydan (ISN# 343), Said Bezan Ashek Shayban (ISN# 346), Nawaf Fahad al Otaibi (ISN# 501), Khalid Rashd Ali al Muri (ISN# 505), Abdullah Hamid al Qahtani (ISN# 652) and Rashid Awad Rashid al Uwaydah (ISN# 664) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia. Two Guantánamo detainees attempt suicide and a riot breaks out in reaction to the event.

10th June 2006: Saudi Arabians Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi al-Utaybi (ISN# 588) and Yasser Talal al-Zahrani (ISN# 093), and Ali Abdullah Ahmed (ISN# 693) of Yemen, die by apparent suicide.

24th June 2006: Musa Abed al Wahab (ISN# 058), Yusif Khalil Abdallah Nur (ISN# 073), Muhammad Surur Dakhilallah al Utaybi (ISN# 096), Abdul Salam Ghetan (ISN# 132), Othman Ahmed Othman al Omairah (ISN# 184), Saleh Ali Jaid al Khathami (ISN# 191), Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz al Baddah (ISN# 264), Tariqe Shallah Hassan al Harbi (ISN# 265), Abdullah Muhammad Saleh Ganmi (ISN# 266), Ibrahim Muhammed Ibrahim al Nasir (ISN# 271), Saad Ibraham Saad al Bidna (ISN# 337), Wasm Awwad Umar Wasim (ISN# 338), Rashid Abdul Mosleh Qayed (ISN# 344), Sadik Ahmad Turkistani (ISN# 491) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

29th June 2006: Supreme Court rule that the Bush administration’s military commissions violate the laws of war and international conventions. The court also reiterates that detainees could pursue cases in civilian courts.

12th July 2006: Bush repeals his February 2002 directive and accepts that the Geneva Conventions apply to detainees.

24th August 2006: Murat Kurnaz (ISN# 053) is transferred to Germany, where he is a legal resident.

25th August 2006: Haji Noorallah (ISN# 494), Qari Hasan Ulla Peerzai (ISN# 562), Akhtar Mohammed (ISN# 845), Haji Nasrat Khan (ISN# 1009) and Said Mohammed (ISN# 1056) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

6th September 2006: 14 “high value” detainees are transferred to Guantánamo from secret sites.

14th September 2006: Omar Rajab Amin (ISN# 065) and Abdullah Kamel Abudallah Kamel (ISN# 228) are repatriated to Kuwait.

26th September 2006: The Red Cross sends a delegation to Guantánamo to meet with the 14 newly transferred prisoners.

28th September 2006: The Military Commission Act is passed by a Republican-dominated Congress.

11th October 2006: Zia Ul Shah (ISN# 015) and Abdul Halim Sadiqi (ISN# 1007) repatriated to Pakistan. Muhammad Ben Moujan (ISN# 160) is repatriated to Morocco. Salah Abdul Rasul Ali Abdul Rahman al Balushi (ISN# 227) is repatriated to Bahrain. Abdul Majid Muhammed (ISN# 555) is repatriated to Iran. Abib Sarajuddin (ISN# 458), Qari Esmhatulla (ISN# 591), Shams Ullah (ISN# 783), Khandan Kadir (ISN# 831), Mohammed Nasim (ISN# 849), Taj Mohammed (ISN# 902), Habib Rahman (ISN# 907), Mohabet Khan (ISN# 909), Shardar Khan (ISN# 914), Faiz Ullah (ISN# 919), Swar Khan (ISN# 933), Anwar Khan (ISN# 948), Saida Jan (ISN# 1035), Mohammed Aman (ISN# 1074), Kakai Khan (ISN# 1075) and Ali Shah Mousavi (ISN# 1154) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

17th October 2006: President Bush signs the Military Commissions Act into law. The Act strips the US courts of jurisdiction to hear habeas corpus appeals from any foreign national held as an “enemy combatant” in US custody anywhere in the world. It also narrows the scope of the USA’s War Crimes Act, by not expressly criminalizing Common Article 3’s prohibition on unfair trials or “outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment.” The Act will allow the CIA’s secret detention programme to continue.

17th November 2006: Zakirjan Asam (ISN# 672), Alla Muhammed Saleem (ISN# 716) and Fethi Boucetta (ISN# 718) are transferred to Albania; determined no longer enemy combatants.

7th December 2006: First detainees are transferred to the newly-constructed Camp Six

13th December 2006: Muhammed Yahia Mosin al Zayla (ISN# 055), Salim Suliman al Harbi (ISN# 057), Yusef Abdullah Saleh al Rabiesh (ISN# 109), Salman Saad al Khadi Mohammed (ISN# 121), Jabir Jubran al Fayfi (ISN# 188), Ibrahim Sulayman Muhammad Arbaysh (ISN# 192), Abdullah Muhammed Abdel Aziz (ISN# 206), Anwar al Nurr (ISN# 226), al Silm Haji Hajjaj Awwad al Hajjaji (ISN# 245), Abd al Aziz Muhammad Ibrahim al Nasir (ISN# 273), Ziad Said Farg Jahdari (ISN# 286), Majed Hamad al Frih (ISN# 336), Abdullah Ali Salih al Debakha al Siari (ISN# 340), Said Ali al Farha (ISN# 341), Sultan Sari Sayel al Anazi (ISN# 507) and Abdul Rahman Mohammed Hussein Khowlan (ISN# 513) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

15th December 2006: Ilkham Turdbyavich Batayev (ISN# 084), Yakub Abahanov (ISN# 526) and Abdullah Tohtasinovich Magrupov (ISN# 528) are repatriated to Kazakhstan. Abdul Rahman Abdullah Mohamed Juma Kahm (ISN# 118), Abdul Zahor (ISN# 949), Rahmatullah (ISN# 964), Hafizullah (ISN# 965), Baridad (ISN# 966), Alif Mohammed (ISN# 972) and Akhtiar Mohammad (ISN# 1036) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Toufiq Saber Muhammad al Marwa'i (ISN# 129), Ali Husayn Abdullah al Tays (ISN# 162), Issam Hamid al Bin Ali al Jayfi (ISN# 183), Muhsin Muhammad Musheen Moqbill (ISN# 193), Mohammed Ahmed Ali al Asadi (ISN# 198), Saleh Mohamed al Zuba (ISN# 503) are repatriated to Yemen. Mubarak Hussain Bin Abul Hashem (ISN# 151) is repatriated to Bangladesh. Muhammad Abd Allah Manur Safrani al Futri (ISN# 194) is repatriated to Libya.

2007

7th January 2007: Allah Muhammed Saleem (ISN# 716) is released to Albania; determined no longer enemy combatant.

18th January 2007: The Department of Defense announces the creation of the Military Commissions Manual.

20th February 2007: Majeed Al Joudi (ISN# 025), Majid Abdallah Husayn Muhammad al Samluli al Harbi (ISN# 158), Majid Aydha Muhammad al Qurayshi (ISN# 176), Rashed Awad Khalaf Balkhair (ISN# 186), Faizal Saha al Nasir (ISN# 437), Nasir Maziyad Abdallah al Qurayshi al Subii (ISN# 497) and Mohammed Abdullah al Harbi (ISN# 536) repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

28th February 2007: Rukniddin Fayziddinovich Sharipov (ISN# 076) and Mehrabanb Fazrollah (ISN# 077) are repatriated to Tajikistan. Haji Ghalib (ISN# 987) and Nasser Gul Ghaman (ISN# 1037) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Sobit Valikhonovich Vakhidov (ISN# 090), a citizen of Tajikistan, is transferred to an unknown country.

9th March 2007: CSRTs held for Ramzi Binalshibh (ISN# 10013) and Abu Faraj Al Libi (ISN# 10017).

10th March 2007: CSRT held for Khalid Sheik Mohammed (ISN# 10024).

12th March 2007: CSRT held for Tawfiq Bin Attash.

13th March 2007: CSRT held for Mohamed Farik Bin Amin Zubair (ISN# 10021).

14th March 2007: CSRT held for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri (ISN# 10015). He claims torture made him confess to terrorist activities.

17th March 2007: CSRT held for Ahmad Khalfan Ghailani (ISN#10012).

18th March 2007: Two UK residents, Ahmed Rashidi (ISN# 590) and Ahmed Belbacha (ISN# 290) are cleared by a Pentagon tribunal but face indefinite detention because the UK refuses to authorize their release.

20th March 2007: CSRT held for Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep (ISN# 10022).

21st March 2007: CSRT held for Mustafa Al Hawsawi (ISN# 10011).

26th March 2007: Abdul Malik Abdul-Jabbar (ISN# 10026), a citizen of Kenya, is transferred to Guantánamo Bay, marking the first time since September 2004 that a detainee has been directly transferred to Guantánamo.

27th March 2007: CSRT held for Abu Zubaida (ISN# 10016)

30th March 2007: CSRT held for Ammar al Baluchi (ISN# 10018). Bisher Amin Khalil al Rawi (ISN# 906), a citizen of Iraq, is transferred to the UK.

4th April 2007: CSRT held for Hambali (ISN# 10019)

15th April 2007: CSRT held for Majid Khan (ISN# 10020).

24th April 2007: Ahmed Rashidi (ISN# 590) is repatriated to Morocco. Azimullah (ISN# 1050) is repatriated to Afghanistan.

18th May 2007: David Hicks is transferred to Australian custody.

30th May 2007: Abdul Rahman al-Amri (ISN# 199) commits suicide in Camp Five.

17th June 2007: Lufti Bin Swei Lagha (ISN# 660) and Abdullah Bin Omar (ISN# 721) are repatriated to Tunisia.

18th June 2007: Sadeq Muhammad Said Ismail (ISN# 069), Ali Mohsen Salih (ISN# 221), Hani Abdul Muslih al Shulan (ISN# 225) and Fawaz Naman Hamoud Abdullah Mahdi (ISN# 678) are repatriated to Yemen.

15th July 2007: Mohamed Al Qahtani (ISN# 013), Saud Dakhil Allah Muslih al Mahayawi (ISN# 053), Muhamad Naji Subhi al Juhani (ISN# 062), Yahya Samil al Suwaymil al Sulami (ISN# 066), Bijad Thif Allah al Atabi (ISN# 122), Mazin Salih Musaid al Awfi (ISN# 154), Abdul Rahman Owaid Mohammad al Juaid (ISN# 179), Bandar Ahmad Mubarak al Jabri (ISN# 182), Said Ibrahim Ramzi al Zahrani (ISN# 204)

Muhammad Abd al Rahman al Kurash (ISN# 214), Humud Dakhil Humud Said al Jadan (ISN# 230), Khalid Mohammed al Zaharni (ISN# 234), Abdullah al Tayabi (ISN# 332)

Abd al Hizani (ISN# 370) and Ghanim Abdul Rahman al Harbi (ISN# 516) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia. Juma Mohammed Abdul Latif al Dosari (ISN# 261), a citizen of Bahrain, is transferred to Saudi Arabia.

7th August 2007: Issa Ali Abdullah al Murbati (ISN# 052) is repatriated to Bahrain.

Mohammed Sharif (ISN# 532), Amin Ullah (ISN# 848), Abdul Ghani (ISN# 943), Mohammed Yacoub (ISN# 1004) and Abdul Razak (ISN# 1043) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

5th September 2007: Majid al Barayan (ISN# 051), Abd al Razaq Abdallah Hamid Ibrahim al Sharikh (ISN# 067 ), Fahed al Harazi (ISN# 079), Abdul Aziz Saad al Khaldi (ISN# 112), Salim Abdallah Said Bahaysh (ISN# 126), Musa Bin Ali Bin Said al Amri (ISN# 196), Fahd Muhammed Abdullah al Fouzan (ISN# 218), Abdulhadi Abdallah Ibrahim al Sharakh (ISN# 231), Bader al Bakri al Samiri (ISN# 274), Rami Bin Said al Taibi (ISN# 318), Khalid Hassan Husayn al Barakat (ISN# 322), Mohammed Mubarek Salah al Qurbi (ISN# 342), Amran Baqur Mohammed Hawsawi (ISN# 368), Abdul Hakim Bukhary (ISN# 493), Abdallah Faris al Unazi Thani (ISN# 514) and Zaban Thaaher Zaban al Shamaree (ISN# 647) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

26th September 2007: Mohammad Lameen Sidi Mohammad (ISN# 706) is repatriated to Mauritania.

28th September 2007: Ali Muhammed Nasir Mohammed (ISN# 172) is transferred to Yemen. Abu Sufian Ibrahim Ahmed Hamuda Bin Qumu (ISN# 557) is repatriated to Libya. Sabar Lal Melma (ISN# 801), Juma Din (ISN# 941), Said Amir Jan (ISN# 945), Allah Nasir (ISN# 951), Abdul Ahmad (ISN# 956) and Mohi Bullar (ISN# 974) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

2nd November 2007: Fizaulla Rahman (ISN# 496), Abdullah Hekmat (ISN# 670), Abdul Nasir (ISN# 874), Mohammed Quasam (ISN# 955), Naserullah (ISN# 967), Hiztullah Nasrat Yar (ISN# 977), Shabir Ahmed (ISN# 1003) and Nahir Shah (ISN# 1010) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Usama Hassan Ahmed Abu Kabir (ISN# 651), Ahmed Hassan Jamil Suleyman (ISN# 662) and Ibrahim Mahdi Achmed Zeidan (ISN# 761) are repatriated to Jordan.

9th November 2007: Sultan Ahmed Dirdeer Musa al Uwaydha (ISN# 059), Khalid Saud Abd al Rahman al Bawardi (ISN# 068), Yussef Mohammed Mubarak al Shihri (ISN# 114) Faha Sultan (ISN# 130), Turki Mash Awi Zayid al Asiri (ISN# 185), Murtadha al Said Makram (ISN# 187), Fahd Umr Abd al Majid al Sharif (ISN# 215), Nayif Abdallah Ibrahim Ibrahim (ISN# 258), Abdullah Abd al Muin al Wafti (ISN# 268), Muhammad al Awfi (ISN# 333), Said Ali al Shihri (ISN# 372), Hani Saiid Mohammad al Khalif (ISN# 438) and Jabir Hasan Mohammed al-Qahtani (ISN# 650) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia. Zaid Muhamamd Sa'ad al Husayn (ISN# 050), a citizen of Jordan, is transferred to Saudi Arabia.

12th December 2007: Gholam Ruhani (ISN# 003), Abdullah Ghulam Rasoul (ISN# 008), Abdul Rauf Aliza (ISN# 108), Umar Abdullah al Kunduzi (ISN# 222), Abdul Razzaq (ISN# 923), Abdul Ghafour (ISN# 954), Abdullah Wazir (ISN# 976), Hafizullah Shabaz Khail (ISN# 1001), Abdul Matin (ISN# 1002), Aminullah Baryalai Tukhi (ISN# 1012), Gul Chaman (ISN# 1021), Abdul Ghafaar (ISN# 1032) and Abdullah Mujahid (ISN# 1100) are repatriated to Afghanistan. Salim Mahmoud Adem Mohammed Bani Amir (ISN# 710) and Adel Hassan (ISN# 940) are repatriated to Sudan.

19th December 2007: Sameur Abdenour (ISN# 659), Omar Amer Deghayes (ISN# 727) and Jamil El Banna (ISN# 905) are transferred to the UK.

28th December 2007: Abdul Aziz Al Matrafi (ISN# 005), Mesh Arsad al Rashid (ISN# 074), Jamil Ali al Kabi (ISN# 216), Abdullah Ali al Utaybi (ISN# 243), Faris Muslim al Ansari (ISN# 253), Abdul Rahman Nashi Badi al Hataybi (ISN# 268), Zaid Binsallah Mohammed Il Bhawith (ISN# 272), Nayif Fahd Mutliq al Usaymi (ISN# 436), Khalid Malu Shia al Ghatani (ISN# 439) and Abdul Hakim Abdul Rahman Abduaziz al Mousa (ISN# 565) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

2008

30th April 2008: Walid Mohammad Haj Mohammad Ali (ISN# 081), Sami al Hajj (ISN# 345) and Amir Yakoub Mohammed al Amir Mahmoud (ISN# 720) are repatriated to Sudan.

20th May 2008: Murat Kurnaz (ISN# 053) becomes the first ex-Guantánamo detainee to testify before the US Congress, which he does from Germany via videolink.

12th June 2008: The United States Supreme Court rules on Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. United States that detainees at Guantánamo Bay should have a right to challenge their detention in US Federal Courts through habeas corpus petitions.

30th June 2008: Military Commission Charges sworn against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

2nd July 2008: Abdul Raham Houari (ISN# 070) and Mustafa Ahmed Hamlily (ISN# 705) are repatriated to Algeria.

26th July 2008: Jaralla Saleh Mohammed Kahla al Marri (ISN# 334) is repatriated to Qatar. Mohammed Mussa Yakubi (ISN# 1165) is repatriated to Afghanistan.

28th July 2008: Abdullah al-Hamiri (ISN# 048) repatriated to the UAE.

6th August 2008: A military jury finds Salim Hamdan guilty of supporting terrorism but not of conspiring in terrorist attacks.

25th August 2008: Mohammed Abd al al Qadir (ISN# 284) and Abdulli Feghoul (ISN# 292) repatriated to Algeria.

31st August 2008: Muhammed Saad Iqbal Madni (ISN# 743) is repatriated to Pakistan. Abdul Wahab (ISN# 961) and Mahbub Rahman (ISN# 1052) are repatriated to Afghanistan.

6th October 2008: Mustafa Ibrahim Mustafa al Hassan (ISN# 719) is repatriated to Sudan. Mammar Ameur (ISN# 939) is repatriated to Algeria.

31st October 2008: Abdulrahim Kerimbakiev (ISN# 521) is repatriated to Kazakhstan. Zainulabidin Merozhev (ISN# 1095) is repatriated to Tajikistan.

4th November 2008: Muhamed Hussein Abdallah (ISN# 704) is transferred to Somaliland.

10th November 2008: Labed Ahmed (ISN# 703) and Soufian Abar Huwari (ISN# 1016) are repatriated to Algeria.

16th November 2008: Barack Obama declares his intention to close Guantánamo.

25th November 2008: Salim Hamdan (ISN# 149) is transferred to Yemeni custody. He is sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison, with 5 years and one month credited for pre-trial confinement.

16th December 2008: Mohammed Nechle (ISN# 10003), Mustafa Ait Idr (ISN# 10004) and Hadj Boudella (ISN# 10006) are transferred to Bosnia and Herzegovina. They are three members of the ‘Algerian Five’ who were ruled releasable in the Washington District Court on 20th November.

2009

14th January 2009: A public statement admitting that a detainee was tortured is released for the first time by a senior Bush administration official responsible for reviewing practices at Guantánamo Bay. The statement admitted that the treatment of a Saudi national (Mohammed al-Qahtani) met the legal definition of torture.

17th January 2009: Ali Abdul Motalib Awayd Hassan al Tayeea (ISN# 111), Hassan Abdul Said (ISN# 435), Arkan Mohammad Ghafil al Karim (ISN# 653) and Abbas Habid Rumi al Naely (ISN# 758) are repatriated to Iraq. Hassan Mujamma Rabai Said (ISN# 175) is repatriated to Algeria. Haji Bismullah (ISN# 968) is repatriated to Afghanistan.

22nd January 2009: President Obama issues three executive orders: one ordering the closure of the prison at Guantánamo Bay in one year, another banning the use of controversial CIA interrogation techniques, and a third ordering the review of detention policy options.

23rd February 2009: Binyam Mohamed is transferred to the UK.

 

15th May 2009: Lakhdar Boumediene (ISN# 10005) is transferred to France. He had been held since 2002 and had be used by lawyers to win the landmark Supreme Court case which ruled detainees at Guantánamo Bay had the right to habeas corpus. Meanwhile, President Obama announces he will continue with the much criticized system of military tribunals that President Bush created to try terrorism suspects, albeit in a different form.

1st June 2009: Mohammad Ahmed Abdullah Saleh al Hanashi (ISN# 078) dies at Guantánamo.

9th June 2009: The first detainee, Ahmed Ghailani (ISN# 10012), who is not an American citizen is brought from Guantánamo Bay to the United States to face a federal trial.

10th June 2009: Jawad Jabber Sadkhan (ISN# 433) is repatriated to Iraq.

11th June 2009: Abdul Helil Mamut (ISN# 278), Abdullah Abdulqadirakhun (ISN# 285), Emam Abdulahat (ISN# 295) and Hozaifa Parhat (ISN# 320) are transferred to Bermuda.

11th June 2009: Mohammed el Gharani (ISN# 269) and the youngest prisoner to be held in Guantanamo Bay is released. He was fourteen when he was arrested in Pakistan in 2001.

12th June 2009: Khalid Saad Mohammed (ISN# 335), Ahmed Zaid Salim Zuhair (ISN# 669) and Abdalaziz Kareem Salim al Noofayaee (ISN# 687) are repatriated to Saudi Arabia.

Material for this timeline was provided by Reprieve.