The U.S. military has operated a base surrounding Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for more than a century, but it has only been over the past several decades that it has become notorious for the detention of foreign nationals.
1903: Cuban-American Treaty Grants U.S. Lease of Guantanamo Bay
In 1903, the United States was formally given permission by the Cuban government to establish a military base on the two coasts of Guantanamo Bay in northwest Cuba, 500 miles off the coast of Florida.1934: Treaty Renewed, Terms Stipulate Both Parties Must Agree to Close Base
In 1934, Cuba agreed to renew the United States' lease on Guantanamo Bay, establishing an indefinite lease that could not be dissolved unless both parties agreed to do so. At the time, Cuba also agreed to provide supplies to the base.1964: Cuban Government Cuts Off Supplies from Guantanamo
In 1964, the new Castro government declared that the Guantanamo treaty had been coerced, and no longer recognized the terms of the treaty as valid. Military officials at Guantanamo were forced to make the base self-sufficient, with its own power grid and water supply.1991-1993: Camp Bulkeley Used to Detain HIV-Positive Haitian Refugees
Human rights activists were outraged when 310 HIV-positive Haitian immigrants were segregated from other refugees following the 1991 Haitian coup and imprisoned in Camp Bulkeley, a crowded and unsanitary detention camp. They were finally released in 1993 after an international campaign.1996: Operation Marathon Focuses on Undocumented Chinese Migrants
Guantanamo's detention facilities have historically been used to house refugees and other undocumented immigrants captured on the high seas. Under 1996's Operation Marathon anti-smuggling initiative, Guantanamo detention facilities were used to house an estimated 120 Chinese migrants who had attempted to illegally migrate to the United States by sea.1997: Operation Present Haven Focuses on Undocumented Guyanese Migrants
Guantanamo was also used to house Guyanese migrants who had attempted to reach the United States by sea.2002: Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Used to House Post-9/11 Detainees
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Guantanamo Bay detention facilities were used to house alleged enemy combatants from Afghanistan and Iraq. Most were classified as "terrorist associates," not actual terrorists or insurgents.2004: Allegations of Torture
In 2004, Guantanamo detainees began approaching human rights groups complaining that moderate torture techniques had been used against them. This was later corroborated by military documents indicating that the use of some techniques commonly considered torture--such as forced standing, sleep deprivation, loud noises, and waterboarding--may have been used at Guantanamo facilities.The Supreme Court's ruling in
Hamdan v. Rumsfeld clearly established that Guantanamo detainees were protected by the Geneva Conventions, and could not be detained permanently without trial or otherwise treated in a manner inconsistent with the Conventions.
2009: Obama Announces Plans to Shut Down Detention Facility Within a Year
On January 21, 2009, newly-inaugurated President Barack Obama issued his first executive order--calling for the closure of detention facilities within a year, and an immediate case-by-case review of all detentions.
