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Poems From GuantánamoPoems From Guantánamo
A collection of haunting poems written by detainees from Guantánamo

Guantánamo Bay

The prison camp at Guantánamo Bay remains open eight years after the first prisoner arrived.

There are 50 men, including two with links to Britain, who remain detained for the sole reason that they have no safe place to go. The plight of these men poses one of the most significant obstacles to the closure of the detention centre.

Although President Obama has ordered the closure of Guantánamo Bay he cannot do it alone. We are urging more European countries to accept detainees who cannot be returned to their countries of origin for fear of torture or other human rights violations.

UK RESIDENT MUST BE RELEASED

To mark the eighth anniversary of Guantánamo, Amnesty is calling for the release of UK resident Shaker Aamer. His 12-year-old daughter Johina hand delivered a letter to Gordon Brown asking the UK government to do all they can to secure her father's return.

BINYAM MOHAMED: HIS LAWYER SPEAKS OUT

Binyam Mohamed has now returned home from Guantánamo Bay, where he was held for over four years. Amnesty has an exclusive interview with his military lawyer Lt. Col Yvonne Bradley, who represented Binyam while he was held at the camp. Here she gives an open and honest interview about his case and how he was treated. Find out more about Binyam's case

More videos

Get creative

Youth drawing of a Guantanamo detainee

Young people in schools across the UK have customised figures in Guantánamo Bay jumpsuits to say whether they think the prison should be closed or remain open. See the results and submit your own figure

Moazzam Begg 

Moazzam BeggMoazzam Begg was abducted in January 2002 from his home in Islamabad by Pakistani and US agents. Watch clips of Moazzam Begg talking about his transfer to US custody | Guantánamo Bay.

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Poems from Guantánamo

Cover image: Poems from GuantanamoThis extraordinary anthology of poems is written by men imprisoned in Guantánamo Bay. Since 2002, at least 775 men have been held in the US detention centre. They wrote their poems with little expectation of ever reaching an audience beyond a small circle of their fellow prisoners.

The first poems were scratched on to styrofoam cups and passed from cell to cell. Many were destroyed by prison guards.