Guantanamo: The detainees
The Riz Khan show asks who they are and why they have been held for so long.
 |
| Guantanamo: Beyond the Law tells the stories of 66 former Guantanamo detainees [EPA] |
“The worst of the worst.” That is how the Bush administration described the more than 770 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay.
But a closer look at those released from the detention facility shows anything but. Many, like the Uighur detainees from China, were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Others were ‘turned in’ because they fell victim to familial or tribal grudges. In fact, the value of the information provided by detainees at Guantanamo was of very limited value, so much so, that former Pentagon officials described it as “worthless” and “useless”.
So who are the detainees of Guantanamo Bay and why were they held for so long if they had no real information?
On Tuesday’s Riz Khan we talk to Roy Gutman and Matt Schofield of McClatchy News Service about the lives of those captured, held and released from Guantanamo. The stories of 66 former detainees in 11 countries are the subject of McClatchy’s just released Guantanamo: Beyond the Law.
Watch part one of this episode of Riz Khan
Watch part two of this episode of Riz Khan
This episode of Riz Khan aired on Tuesday, June 17, 2008
You can watch Riz live at 1900gmt, with repeats at 0030GMT, 0500GMT, and 1000GMT.
To contact us click on ‘Send your feedback’ at the top of the page
Watch Al Jazeera English programmes on YouTube
Join our debates on the Your Views section of the site