Sun Jan 19 16:11:03 UTC 2025: ## Guantanamo Remains Open Under Biden, Renewing Calls for Closure
**Washington, D.C.** – The outgoing Biden administration has concluded its term without fulfilling its promise to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, sparking renewed outrage from human rights advocates and former detainees. A former Guantanamo detainee, who spent 14 years imprisoned without charge, penned an op-ed marking the facility’s 23rd anniversary and the end of Biden’s presidency, highlighting the continued injustice.
The author, who was 19 when detained, details years of torture and harassment, emphasizing the failure of the US to uphold its own ideals of law and justice. Despite numerous reports from human rights organizations, media coverage, and documentaries exposing the abuses, Guantanamo remains operational, costing US taxpayers an estimated $540 million annually.
The op-ed underscores that the facility, established after 9/11, has become a symbol of the “war on terror,” circumventing constitutional and international legal protections. The indefinite detention of individuals without charge or trial, the author argues, is a violation of basic human rights and has served as a blueprint for similar abuses worldwide, fueling Islamophobia and undermining international norms.
Fifteen detainees remain at Guantanamo, some cleared for release but still imprisoned. The author calls on the incoming administration to take decisive action: close the facility, provide justice for victims, hold those responsible for abuses accountable, issue a formal apology, and offer reparations to former detainees. The op-ed concludes with a plea to the international community to demand an end to Guantanamo’s operation, arguing that its continued existence represents a moral stain on the United States and a betrayal of its professed commitment to human rights.
First Piper 