In news– The US government is laying the groundwork to release prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center and at least move closer to being able to shut it down.
About Guantanamo Bay detention center-
- It is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, Gitmo, on the coast of Guantánamo Bay in Cuba.
- The US opened the detention center under President George W Bush in January 2001 following the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Afghanistan to hold and interrogate prisoners suspected of having links to al-Qaida or the Taliban.
- This camp was used to house Muslim militants and suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.
- The facility became the focus of worldwide controversy over alleged violations of the legal rights of detainees under the Geneva Conventions and accusations of torture or abusive treatment of detainees by U.S. authorities.
About Guantanamo Bay-
- It is an inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting southeastern Cuba.
- A large and well-sheltered bay, it has a narrow entrance to a harbour approximately 6 miles (10 km) wide and 12 miles (19 km) long and capable of accommodating large vessels.
- This Bay is served by the ports of Caimanera and Boquerón, which are linked by railroad and highway to the city of Guantánamo, 21 miles to the north.
- The strategic importance of the bay close to the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti that links the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and Panama was recognized during the Spanish-American War, in 1898.
Source: The Indian Express
