United States · Cuba (US naval base) · Guantánamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp
Step-by-step guidance using the United States system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).
Photo by SSGT Stephen Lewald, USA via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by PHCS D.W. Holmes, II via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Roger Blackwell via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Photo by Jeremy Lock via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Cheryl Dilgard via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Spc. Jody Metzger via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Spc. Shanita Simmons via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Photo by Seaman David P. Coleman, U.S. Navy via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
US military detention facility on a 45-square-mile US naval base in southeastern Cuba. Holds detainees from the post-9/11 'War on Terror'.
Background
Camp Delta is a permanent American detainment camp at Guantanamo Bay that replaced the temporary facilities of Camp X-Ray. Its first facilities were built between 27 February and mid-April 2002 by Navy Seabees, Marine Engineers, and workers from Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root. It is composed of detention camps 1 through 6, Camp Platinum, Camp Iguana, the Guantanamo psychiatric ward, Camp Echo and Camp No. The prisoners, referred to as detainees, have uncertain rights due to their location not on American soil. There are allegations of torture and abuse of prisoners (§ Prisoner torture).
Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.
Capacity
175
Current population
30
Occupancy
17%
Year opened
2002
Operational
Facility profile
Operator
Joint Task Force Guantanamo (US DoD)
Population held
male
Opened
2002
Region
Cuba (US naval base)
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
No
Conditions
Operated several camps over time (X-Ray, Delta, Echo, Iguana). Currently operates Camp 7 (high-value detainees) and Camp 5/6 (general population). UN Special Rapporteur has repeatedly called for closure.
Visiting
No family visits permitted. Periodic ICRC monitoring access. Legal visits via approved counsel arrangements.
Mailing
Detainee correspondence routed via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); no direct postal address.
Practical info
Counsel access governed by 'protective order' approved by the Military Commissions.
Known issues
UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism (Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, 2023) documented ongoing cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Notable inmates
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (held since 2006), Abu Zubaydah, 9/11 'High-Value Detainees'.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
- Overcrowding
- 0/30
- Oversight reports
- 12/30
- Structural flags
- 5/15
- Death signals
- 0/15
- Conditions text
- 6/10
What the score is responding to:
- · 1 oversight report in the last 5 years
- · Substantial documented known-issues record
- · Severe-conditions keyword in sources
Compared to other facilities in United States
3134 peersHigher risk than 97% of peer facilities in United States.
Reports
- UN Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism (Fionnuala Ní Aoláin)26 Jun 2023
First UN Special Rapporteur visit; concluded the regime amounts to ongoing cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and called for closure.
Data completeness
96%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- UN Special Rapporteur report — Guantanamo (2023)
- ACLU Guantanamo factsheet
- Amnesty International — country pages — Amnesty International
- Human Rights Watch — World Report — Human Rights Watch
- Wikipedia — Wikimedia Foundation
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.