Andy Worthington

Andy Worthington is a historian based in London. He is the author of The Guantánamo Files, the first book to tell the stories of all the detainees in Guantanámo. He writes regularly on issues related to Guantánamo and the "War on Terror" on his Web site.

House Kills Plan to Close Guantánamo

President Obama’s hopes of closing Guantánamo, which were already gravely wounded by his inability to meet his self-imposed deadline of a year for the prison’s closure, now appear to have been killed off by lawmakers in Congress. Although the House Armed Services Committee was happy to authorize, by 59 votes to 0, a budget of … Continue reading “House Kills Plan to Close Guantánamo”

Judge Rules Yemeni’s Detention at Guantánamo Based Solely on Torture

On Feb. 24, as I reported in "The Black Hole of Guantánamo," Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. granted the habeas corpus petition of Uthman Abdul Rahim Mohammed Uthman, a Yemeni who was seized crossing the border from Afghanistan to Pakistan in December 2001. In the absence of the judge’s unclassified opinion explaining why he had … Continue reading “Judge Rules Yemeni’s Detention at Guantánamo Based Solely on Torture”

Swiss Take Two Guantánamo Uighurs, Solve Obama’s Problem

Congratulations to the Swiss Canton of Jura, which recently accepted the asylum claims of two Uighur prisoners at Guantánamo, and to the Swiss federal government for agreeing to accept Jura’s decision on Wednesday.  The two men in question — Arkin Mahmud, 45, and his brother Bahtiyar Mahnut, 32 — were seized with 20 other Uighurs … Continue reading “Swiss Take Two Guantánamo Uighurs, Solve Obama’s Problem”

Who Are the Four Afghans Released From Gitmo?

Over the weekend, 12 prisoners were released from Guantánamo, as the Justice Department announced in a press release on December 20. I have previously reported the stories of the two Somalis who were released – emphasizing how nothing about their cases demonstrated that they were "the worst of the worst" – and will soon be … Continue reading “Who Are the Four Afghans Released From Gitmo?”

Who Are the Six Uighurs Released From Guantánamo to Palau?

Over the weekend, six of the remaining 13 Uighurs in Guantánamo – Muslims from China’s Xinjiang province – were released to resume new lives in the tiny Pacific nation of Palau (population: 20,000). I have written at length about the plight of Guantánamo’s Uighurs, innocent men caught up in the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in … Continue reading “Who Are the Six Uighurs Released From Guantánamo to Palau?”