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• According to media reports, President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has been quietly working on a plan to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison camp. The plan involves the release of some of the 270 detainees and the prosecution of others in U.S. criminal courts. A third group of detainees will require special courts to allow the discussion of classified information.Telegraph: Obama 'proposes to move terrorists suspects...' (November 10, 2008)

  On May 1, 2009, the Obama administration asked for a three month extension for the review of cases. During that time, an unnamed official said, Obama may ask Congress to tweak existing military tribunals, rather than abandon them. Tweaks would include limiting the classified evidence that can be used against the detainees.Fox News: Obama Considers Reviving Military Commission System (May 2, 2009)

• Fast Facts

  1. Approximately 270 people are currently held at GuantanamoTelegraph: Barack Obama 'proposes to move terrorists suspects from Guantanamo Bay' (November 10, 2008)
  2. Even if released, some detainees face torture or may not be accepted in their home countriesNewsweek: Four reasons Obama won't close the controversial prison soon (November 7, 2008)
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  4. Closing Guantanamo was an Obama campaign promiseTelegraph: Barack Obama 'proposes to move terrorists suspects from Guantanamo Bay' (November 10, 2008)
  5. On November 10, 2008, the ACLU published a full-page ad in The New York Times asking Obama to close Guantanamo.Detroit Free Press: Obama urged to shut Guantanamo (November 9, 2008)
  6. The plan deviates sharply from the Bush administration's military tribunalsHuffington Post: Obama Plans Guantanamo Close, US Trials (November 10, 2008)

• New Gitmo Prison?

  In March of 2009, speculations began that a maximum security jail in Alexandria, Virginia, may be the future home of many of the Guantanamo Bay detainees. It is the same jail that housed Zacarias Moussaoui for five years.The Washington Post: Security Worries in the Suburbs (March 25, 2009)

• A Special Court

  A segment of the Guantanamo population cannot be simply freed or tried under the U.S. federal court system because their cases involve classified information.Telegraph: Barack Obama 'proposes to move terrorists suspects from Guantanamo Bay' (November 10, 2008)

  U.S. military tribunals have been criticized for recognizing lax evidence rules and promoting intense secrecy by human rights groups, defense attorneys and military prosecutors.Huffington Post: Obama Plans Guantanamo Close, US Trials (November 10, 2008) Federal courts might have to disallow evidence from intelligence sources, and undercover CIA operatives or informers might have to testify in court, risking their careers and lives.Huffington Post: Obama Plans Guantanamo Close, US Trials (November 10, 2008)

  While plans are not complete, Obama's advisers are reportedly considering a hybrid of military and civil court systems.Telegraph: Barack Obama 'proposes to move terrorists suspects from Guantanamo Bay' (November 10, 2008)

• Quotes

  "We can't put people in a dungeon forever without processing whether they deserve to be there."—Laurence Tribe, Obama legal adviserTelegraph: Barack Obama 'proposes to move terrorists suspects from Guantanamo Bay' (November 10, 2008)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Guantanamo Six | Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Guantanamo Tribunal | Guantanamo Prisoners Civilian Courts | Guantanamo Bay | Gitmo Prisoner Interrogation Video

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