How Many Inmates Are There At Guantanamo Bay?

Protesters in London, England demand the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. Editorial credit: Pres Panayotov / Shutterstock.com

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is found on the coast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The camp is a military prison run by the United States. The prison camp was established on January 11, 2002, under the administration of President George W. Bush. The primary intention of such an establishment was to detain and interrogate terrorism suspects during the war on terror after the devastating attack in the US on September 2001. Over $11 million is spent by the US government each year to imprison a single inmate at the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay.

Inmates At Guantanamo Bay

Facilities At Guantanamo Bay

Guantanamo Bay had a camp that was closed in April 2002 and was used as a temporary detention unit, called Camp X-Ray. The detention unit was replaced by Camp Delta which has a detention center with 612 units. Contained in this camp are six camps named 1 through 6 and Camp Echo that holds pre-commissions. However, there reports that a separate facility is located on the base, Camp 7, and is treated as a tight security jail, and its location is classified. The camps have different amenities and levels of comfort.

Number of Inmates at Guantanamo Bay

Since the establishment of Guantanamo Bay detention camp, 779 men have been detained. Afghans represent the most significant number group ever detained at the prison camp at 29% of all detainees. In total, 50 nationalists were held at Guantanamo Bay. As of September 2017, the inmate population at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had shrunk from a high of 647 in 2003 to only 41 prisoners. Five men are still imprisoned at the camp even after the government cleared them for release. Out of the 41 inmates, 23 of them have not been charged and have not been cleared for release. Nine prisoners have died in prison since its establishment with seven apparently being suicides.

Release of Guantanamo Detainees

According to the US Department of Defense in July 2005, 242 prisoners were transferred out of prison in Guantanamo. Of the 242 prisoners, 173 were released without charge. 69 detainees were transferred to governments of other countries to be held in custody. Almost 600 prisoners had been released by May 2011. Most of the detainees were released, transferred, or repatriated. As of June 2013, only 46 detainees were left in the prison camp. Before President Obama left office, he cleared the release of some prisoners leaving only 41. In general, the administration of George W. Bush released 532 prisoners while Obama’s administration released 197 prisoners.

The Fate of Guantanamo Bay

Guantanamo Bay has been marred by allegations of torture and abuse of human rights. Some of the released detainees have reported abuse and torture during their stay at the prison. President Obama intended to close down the detention camp in a bid to restore the core constitutional values and standards of due process that is upheld by the US. Shortly after President Donald Trump took office, he announced that Guantanamo Bay would remain open.