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120-517: Construction of Pul-e-Charkhi prison began in the 1970s by order of former president Mohammed Daoud Khan and was completed during the 1980s. It became notorious for torture and executions after the 1978 Saur Revolution as well as during the ten-year Soviet-Afghan War that followed. Some claim that between April 1978 and December 1979, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) under Nur Muhammad Taraki , executed around 27,000 political prisoners at Pul-e-Charkhi. More recently,

240-540: A Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. In 2010, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson , a former aide to Secretary of State Colin Powell , stated in an affidavit that top U.S. officials, including President George W. Bush , Vice President Dick Cheney , and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, had known that the majority of the detainees initially sent to Guantánamo were innocent, but that the detainees had been kept there for reasons of political expedience. Wilkerson's statement

360-468: A loya jirga approved a new constitution. It wrote in several new articles and amended others - one of these was the creation of a presidential one-party system of government. He also began to moderate his socialist policies, although the 1977 constitution had a nationalist bend in addition to previous socialism and Islam. In 1978, there was a rift with the PDPA. Internally he attempted to distance himself from

480-685: A proxy war in Afghanistan. Since coming to power, under pressure from the PDPA and to increase domestic Pashtun support, Khan took a stronger line on the Pashtunistan issue and promoted a proxy war in Pakistan. Trade and transit agreements with Pakistan were subsequently severely affected. The year 1975 was a watershed in Afghan-Pakistan relations. Pakistan blamed Afghanistan for unrest in Bajaur agency and

600-441: A factor of 2 to 3. Amin sent complete orders for the coup from his home while it was under armed guard, using his family as messengers. The army had been put on alert on 26 April because of a presumed coup. On 27 April 1978, a coup d'état , beginning with troop movements at the military base at Kabul International Airport , gained ground slowly over the next twenty-four hours as rebels battled units loyal to Daoud Khan in and around

720-736: A half years internment . Ghezali claimed that he was the victim of repeated torture. Omar Deghayes alleged he was blinded after his right eye was gouged by an officer. Juma Al Dossary claimed he was interrogated hundreds of times, beaten, tortured with broken glass, barbed wire , burning cigarettes, and suffered sexual assaults . David Hicks also made allegations of torture and mistreatment in Guantanamo Bay, including sensory deprivation , stress positions , having his head slammed into concrete, repeated anal penetration, routine sleep deprivation and forced drug injections. An Associated Press report claimed that some detainees were turned over to

840-1031: A larger and more permanent facility that housed over 680 prisoners, the vast majority without formal charges. The Bush Administration maintained that it was not obliged to grant prisoners basic protections under the U.S. Constitution or the Geneva Conventions , since the former did not extend to foreign soil and the latter did not apply to " unlawful enemy combatants ". Various humanitarian and legal advocacy groups claimed that these policies were unconstitutional and violated international human rights law ; several landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions found that detainees had rights to due process and habeas corpus but were still subject to military tribunals , which remain controversial for allegedly lacking impartiality , independence, and judicial efficiency. In addition to restrictions on their legal rights, detainees are widely reported to have been housed in unfit conditions and routinely abused and tortured , often in

960-489: A leader in a democratic process and therefore a target for communists. One of the army generals arrested under suspicion of this plot with Maiwandwal was Mohammed Asif Safi , who was later released. Khan personally apologized to him for the arrest. In 1974, he signed one of two economic packages that aimed to greatly increase the capability of the Afghan military. At this time, there were increasing concerns that Afghanistan lacked

1080-654: A military judge to order the release of art made in her client, Ammar al-Baluchi 's cell. She complained that painting and drawing was made difficult, and he was not permitted to give artwork to his counsel. It has been reported that prisoners cooperating with interrogations have been rewarded with Happy Meals from the McDonald's on base. By May 2011, there had been at least six reported suicides in Guantánamo. During August 2003, there were 23 suicide attempts. The U.S. officials did not say why they had not previously reported

1200-414: A military prison has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and others, who cite reports that detainees have been tortured or otherwise poorly treated. Supporters of the detention argue that trial review of detentions has never been afforded to prisoners of war, and that it is reasonable for enemy combatants to be detained until the cessation of hostilities. Three British Muslim prisoners, known in

1320-617: A modern army comparable to the militaries of Iran and Pakistan. In 1975, his government nationalized all banks in Afghanistan, including Da Afghanistan Bank , Afghanistan's central bank . Khan wanted to lessen the country's dependence on the Soviet Union and attempted to promote a new foreign policy. In 1975 he visited some countries in the Middle East, including Egypt , Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, all of which were anti-Soviet states, to ask for aid, He also visited India . Regarding

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1440-518: A nationalistic reunification of the Pakistani Pashtun people with Afghanistan, but this would have involved taking a considerable amount of territory from the new nation of Pakistan and was in direct opposition to an older plan of the 1940s whereby a confederation between the two countries was proposed. The move further worried the non-Pashtun populations of Afghanistan such as the minority Hazara , Tajik , and Uzbek , who suspected his intention

1560-545: A parliament with elected members and the separation of powers was replaced by a now largely nominated loya jirga (meaning "grand assembly"). The parliament was disbanded. Although he was close to the Soviet Union during his prime ministership, Khan continued the Afghan policy of non-alignment with the Cold War superpowers. Nor did he bring drastic pro-Soviet change to the economic system. In Khan's new cabinet, many ministers were fresh faced politicians, and only Dr Abdul Majid

1680-465: A report from the ICRC. The ICRC reports of several activities that, it said, were "tantamount to torture": exposure to loud noise or music, prolonged extreme temperatures, or beatings. It also reported that a Behavioral Science Consultation Team (BSCT), also called 'Biscuit,' and military physicians communicated confidential medical information to the interrogation teams (weaknesses, phobias, etc.), resulting in

1800-520: A request to suspend proceedings at Guantanamo military commission for 120 days and to shut down the detention facility that year. On January 29, 2009, a military judge at Guantanamo rejected the White House request in the case of Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri , creating an unexpected challenge for the administration as it reviewed how the United States brings Guantanamo detainees to trial. On May 20, 2009,

1920-609: A result of his policies and support to militias in areas along the Durand Line, Pakistan closed its borders with Afghanistan and the latter severed ties, causing an economic crisis and greater dependence on the USSR . The USSR became Afghanistan's principal trading partner. Within a few months, the USSR sent jet airplanes , tanks , heavy and light artillery , for a heavily discounted price tag of $ 25 million, to Afghanistan. That same year he attended

2040-430: A special female section of the prison. In December 2004, foreign prisoners attacked guards with razor blades . A subsequent shoot-out left one Iraqi and three Pakistani prisoners and four Afghan police dead. In January 2006, seven prisoners escaped by mingling with visitors. A month later, a riot was sparked by a new prison policy forcing prisoners to wear bright orange clothing, a rule enacted to avoid events similar to

2160-463: A system, whose stated purpose is the production of intelligence, cannot be considered other than an intentional system of cruel, unusual and degrading treatment and a form of torture." The United States government reportedly rejected the Red Cross findings at the time. On 30 November 2004, The New York Times published excerpts from an internal memo leaked from the U.S. administration, referring to

2280-552: A tentative agreement on a solution to the Pashtunistan problem with Ali Bhutto. Khan met Leonid Brezhnev on a state visit to Moscow from 12 to 15 April 1977. He had asked for a private meeting with the Soviet leader to discuss with him the increased pattern of Soviet actions in Afghanistan. In particular, he discussed the intensified Soviet attempt to unite the two factions of the Afghan communist parties, Parcham and Khalq . Brezhnev described Afghanistan's non-alignment as important to

2400-450: A time to the camp, where they were believed to be interrogated. He believes that the three detainees that DoD announced as having committed suicide were questioned under torture the night of their deaths. From 2003 to 2006, the CIA operated a small site, known informally as "Penny Lane," to house prisoners whom the agency attempted to recruit as spies against Al-Qaeda . The housing at Penny Lane

2520-531: A two-week dispute over arrests following an attempted jail-break, inmates rioted and took over sections of the building. Gunfire was heard in the complex and inmates claimed to be holding hostage two members of the Afghan National Army (ANA). The hostage-takers threatened to kill the ANA members unless mediators were sent in to resolve the conflict. The prison has been renovated in recent years with assistance from

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2640-458: A widespread hunger strike; they were subsequently being force fed until the U.S. Government stopped releasing hunger strike information, due to it having "no operational purpose". During the month of Ramadan that year, the US military claimed that the amount of detainees on hunger strike had dropped from 106 to 81. However, according to defense attorney Clive Stafford Smith , "The military are cheating on

2760-420: Is evidence that Sardar Mohammad Daoud Khan would not bow to foreigners, regardless of their nationality. Particularly, in his last meeting with [Soviet leader] Leonid Brezhnev, he proved his bravery and patriotism. But KGB deceptions and the games that they played could have benefited from Daoud Khan's influence in the armed forces. So Daoud Khan, indirectly and with total unawareness, could have been manipulated by

2880-754: The 1st Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade making Afghanistan one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement . As a result of continued resentment against Daoud's autocratic rule , close ties with the USSR and economic downturn because of the blockade imposed by Pakistan, Daoud Khan was asked to resign. Instead of resigning, Daoud Khan requested King Zahir Shah to approve new 'one-party constitution' proposed by him which would in turn increase Daoud Khan's already considerable power. Upon rejection, Daoud Khan angrily resigned. The crisis

3000-586: The Afghan National Army 's 111th Capital Division was based near Pul-e-Charkhi prison. In December 2006, a communist-era mass grave, close to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison, was discovered by the NATO -led International Security Assistance Force . It is believed that the grave held some 2,000 bodies. Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture believe that the massacre took place between 1978 and 1986 when

3120-772: The Central Corps of the Afghan Armed Forces in Kabul from 1951 to 1953. Khan was appointed prime minister in September 1953 through an intra-family transfer of power, replacing Shah Mahmud Khan . His ten-year tenure was noted for his foreign policy turn to the Soviet Union , the completion of the Helmand Valley project, which dramatically improved living conditions in southwestern Afghanistan, as well as tentative steps towards

3240-548: The George W. Bush administration that "a federal district court could not properly exercise habeas jurisdiction over an alien detained at GBC ( Guantanamo Bay, Cuba )", military guards took the first twenty detainees to Camp X-Ray on January 11, 2002. At the time, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said the detention camp was established to detain extraordinarily dangerous people, to interrogate detainees in an optimal setting, and to prosecute detainees for war crimes . In practice,

3360-646: The Guantánamo Bay Naval Base was established pursuant to a lease agreement with no expiration date. The 1934 Cuban–American Treaty of Relations superseded much of the 1903 treaty but reaffirmed the Guantánamo Bay lease, under which Cuba retains ultimate sovereignty but the U.S. exercises sole jurisdiction. Since coming to power in 1959 , Cuba's communist government considers the U.S. military presence at Guantánamo Bay illegal and has repeatedly called for its return. The Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, including

3480-657: The Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana , Khan said that Cuba "only pretends to be non-aligned." Surprisingly, he did not renew the Pashtunistan agitation; relations with Pakistan improved thanks to interventions from the US and the Shah of Iran . These moves alerted the Soviets. In 1977, he established his own political party, the National Revolutionary Party , which became the focus of all political activity. In January 1977,

3600-496: The Pashtunisation of Afghanistan reached such an extent that the word 'Afghan' started being used to refer only to Pashtuns and not to the other minority groups who collectively formed a majority in Afghanistan. The Afghan Armed Forces were allied with Daoud Khan and supported his goal of promoting Pashtuns to higher posts in the Afghan Armed Forces . In 1963, Afghan Uzbeks were barred from becoming high-ranking officers in

3720-451: The Republic of Afghanistan , establishing an autocratic one-party system under his National Revolutionary Party . Khan was known for his autocratic rule , and for his educational and progressive social reforms. Under his regime, he headed a purge of communists in the government, and many of his policies also displeased religious conservatives and liberals who were in favor of restoring

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3840-483: The Soviet Union because Egypt took the same route in 1974 in distancing itself from the Soviet Union. After the murder of Mir Akbar Khyber , the prominent Parchamite ideologue, his funeral on 19 April 1978 served as a rallying point for the Afghan communists. An estimated 1,000 to 3,000 people gathered to hear speeches by PDPA leaders such as Nur Muhammad Taraki , Hafizullah Amin and Babrak Karmal . Shocked by this demonstration of communist unity, Khan ordered

3960-606: The Third Geneva Convention do not apply to Al-Qaeda or Taliban fighters, claiming that the Convention applies to only military personnel and guerrillas who are part of a chain of command , wear distinctive insignia, bear arms openly, and abide by the rules of war. Jim Phillips of The Heritage Foundation said that "some of these terrorists who are not recognized as soldiers don't deserve to be treated as soldiers." Critics of U.S. policy, such as George Monbiot , claimed

4080-569: The U.S. Congress , on the grounds of national security, prevented its closure. During the Obama Administration , the number of inmates was reduced from about 250 to 41, but controversial policies such as the use of military courts were left in place. In January 2018, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep the detention camp open indefinitely, and only one prisoner was repatriated during his administration. Since taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden has vowed to close

4200-492: The U.S. Department of Justice claimed that habeas corpus —a legal recourse against unlawful detention—did not apply to Guantanamo Bay because it was outside of U.S. territory. Subsequently, in January 2002, a temporary detention facility dubbed " Camp X-Ray " was created to house suspected Al-Qaeda members and Taliban fighters primarily captured in Afghanistan . By May 2003, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp had grown into

4320-461: The United Nations , concluded that detainees have been systematically mistreated in violation of their human rights . Amid multiple legal and political challenges, as well as consistent widespread criticism and condemnation both domestically and internationally, the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay has been subject to repeated calls and efforts for closure. President Bush, while maintaining that

4440-581: The United States Senate passed an amendment to the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2009 (H.R. 2346) by a 90–6 vote to block funds needed for the transfer or release of prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. President Obama issued a presidential memorandum dated 15 December 2009, ordering Thomson Correctional Center , Thomson, Illinois to be prepared to accept transferred Guantanamo prisoners. The Final Report of

4560-553: The 1898 Spanish–American War , U.S. forces invaded and occupied Cuba amid its war of independence against Spain . In 1901, an American-drafted amendment to the Cuban constitution nominally recognized Cuba's sovereignty while allowing the U.S. to intervene in local affairs and establish naval bases on land leased or purchased from the Cuban government. The Cuban–American Treaty of Relations of 1903 reaffirmed these provisions, and that same year,

4680-461: The 2011 Defense Authorization Bill , which, in part, placed restrictions on the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to the mainland or to foreign countries, thus impeding the closure of the facility. In February 2011, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said that Guantanamo Bay was unlikely to be closed, due to opposition in the Congress. Congress particularly opposed moving prisoners to facilities in

4800-497: The Afghan armed forces. Similarly only a few Tajiks were allowed to hold the position of officer in the Afghan army, while other ethnicities were excluded from those positions. Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp , also known as GTMO or GITMO ( / ˈ ɡ ɪ t m oʊ / GIT -moh ), is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on

4920-591: The Afghan guards. This forced a delay on construction as all the guards underwent new security checks. Finally, there was controversy within the Afghan government as to which ministry would be responsible for the modernized part of the prison. By January 2008, 32 captives from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and 125 captives from the Parwan Detention Facility had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi. The Center for Constitutional Rights reported that all of

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5040-610: The Afghans repatriated to Afghanistan from April 2007 were sent to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison. In February 2009, a team from the United Kingdom's Channel 4 toured the American wing of the prison. By September 2009 the United States had transferred some 250 former detainees from its Guantanamo Bay detention camp to Pul-e-Charkhi, often to the shock of their waiting families, according to Human Rights First . On August 15, 2021, management of

5160-490: The Associated Press reported Camp 7 , a separate facility on the naval base that was considered the highest security jail on the base. That facility held detainees previously imprisoned in a global, clandestine network of CIA prisons . An attorney first visited a detainee at Camp 7 in 2013. The precise location of Camp 7 has never been confirmed. In early April 2021, Camp 7 was shut down due to deteriorating conditions of

5280-455: The Department of Defense "extended an invitation to United Nations Special Rapporteurs to visit detention facilities at Guantanamo Bay Naval Station." This was rejected by the U.N. because of DoD restrictions, stating that "[the] three human rights officials invited to Guantánamo Bay wouldn't be allowed to conduct private interviews" with prisoners. Simultaneously, media reports began related to

5400-685: The Department of Justice has disputed certain facts contained in the article about the soldiers' account. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) inspected some of the prison facilities in June 2004. In a confidential report issued in July 2004 and leaked to The New York Times in November 2004, Red Cross inspectors accused the U.S. military of using "humiliating acts, solitary confinement , temperature extremes, and use of forced positions" against prisoners. The inspectors concluded that "the construction of such

5520-519: The Geneva Conventions . Following this, on July 7, 2006, the Department of Defense issued an internal memo stating that detainees would, in the future, be entitled to protection under Common Article 3. Current and former detainees have reported abuse and torture, which the Bush administration denied. In a 2005 Amnesty International report, the facility was called the " Gulag of our times." In 2006,

5640-593: The Guantanamo Review Task Force , dated January 22, 2010, published the results for the 240 detainees subject to the review: 36 were the subject of active cases or investigations; 30 detainees from Yemen were designated for "conditional detention" due to the poor security environment in Yemen; 126 detainees were approved for transfer; 48 detainees were determined "too dangerous to transfer but not feasible for prosecution". On January 6, 2011, President Obama signed

5760-470: The January escape. The February 2006 riot resulted in six deaths and 22 injured, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross . The rioters used makeshift weapons to attack guards, then ignited furniture on fire, and smashed doors and windows. They eventually took over a wing of the prison and held it for a few days. The riot finally ended on the first of March. On 16 March 2008, after

5880-537: The KGB." Sayed Makhdoom Raheen in 2003 After returning to Afghanistan, he made plans that his government would downscale its relationship with the Soviet Union, and instead forge closer contacts with the West as well as the oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Iran . Afghanistan signed a co-operative military treaty with Egypt and by 1977, the Afghan military and police force were being trained by Egyptian Armed Forces . This angered

6000-524: The King on 17 July 1973. The coup was bloodless , and backed by a large number of army officers who were loyal to him, facing no resistance. Departing from tradition, and for the first time in Afghan history, he did not proclaim himself Shah , establishing instead a republic with himself as president . The role of pro-communist Parchamite officers in the coup led to him receiving the nickname " Red Prince " by some. King Zahir Shah's constitution establishing

6120-582: The Military Intelligence unit assigned to guard Camp Delta, including a decorated non-commissioned Army officer who was on duty as sergeant of the guard the night of 9–10 June 2006. Their account contradicts the report published by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Horton said the deaths had occurred at a black site, known as "Camp No", outside the perimeter of the camp. According to its spokeswoman Laura Sweeney,

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6240-494: The Moscow-backed communist presidents, Nur Muhammad Taraki , Hafizullah Amin and Babrak Karmal were in power. Living conditions of the prisoners have been criticized by several human rights groups. The prison had been cited as overcrowded and the living conditions as sub-par. There had been eight cell blocks but only three were being used which has caused overcrowding. There are also about 70 female prisoners who are housed in

6360-748: The Quran down the toilet , defacing the Quran , writing comments and remarks on the Quran, tearing pages out of the Quran, and denying detainees a copy of the Quran. One of the justifications offered for the continued detention of Mesut Sen , during his Administrative Review Board hearing, was: Emerging as a leader, the detainee has been leading the detainees around him in prayer. The detainees listen to him speak and follow his actions during prayer. Red Cross inspectors and released detainees have alleged acts of torture, including sleep deprivation , beatings and locking in confined and cold cells. The use of Guantánamo Bay as

6480-577: The Saudi Arabian government. The Saudi government developed a re-integration program including religious education, helping to arrange marriages and jobs, to bring detainees back into society. The Center for Policy and Research published Death in Camp Delta (2009), its analysis of the NCIS report, noting many inconsistencies in the government account and said the conclusion of suicide by hanging in their cells

6600-468: The U.S. Government detains those who are not convicted in military commissions. In January 2010, Scott Horton published an article in Harper's Magazine describing " Camp No ", a black site about 1 mile (1.6 km) outside the main camp perimeter, which included an interrogation center. His description was based on accounts by four guards who had served at Guantanamo. They said prisoners were taken one at

6720-534: The U.S. by Afghan tribesmen in return for cash bounties . The first Denbeaux study , published by Seton Hall University Law School , reproduced copies of several leaflets, flyers, and posters the U.S. government distributed to advertise the bounty program; some of which offered bounties of "millions of dollars." Hunger-striking detainees claimed that guards were force feeding them in the fall of 2005: "Detainees said large feeding tubes were forcibly shoved up their noses and down into their stomachs, with guards using

6840-614: The U.S. with criminal offenses. Shortly after the September 11 attacks , the U.S. declared its " war on terror " effort and led a multinational military operation against Taliban-ruled Afghanistan to dismantle Al-Qaeda and capture its leader, Osama bin Laden . During the invasion, on November 13, 2001, President Bush issued a military order allowing for the indefinite detention of foreign nationals without charge and preventing them from legally challenging their detention. The following month,

6960-557: The USSR and essential to the promotion of peace in Asia, and warned him about the presence of experts from NATO countries stationed in the northern parts of Afghanistan. Daoud bluntly replied: "we will never allow you to dictate to us how to run our country and whom to employ in Afghanistan. How and where we employ the foreign experts will remain the exclusive prerogative of the Afghan state. Afghanistan shall remain poor, if necessary, but free in its acts and decisions" "All of his life experience

7080-500: The United Nations unsuccessfully demanded that Guantanamo Bay detention camp be closed. On 13 January 2009, Susan J. Crawford , appointed by Bush to review DoD practices used at Guantanamo Bay and oversee the military trials, became the first Bush administration official to concede that torture occurred at Guantanamo Bay on one detainee ( Mohammed al-Qahtani ), saying "We tortured Qahtani." On January 22, 2009, President Obama issued

7200-548: The United States for detention or trial. In April 2011, WikiLeaks began publishing 779 secret files relating to prisoners in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. On November 4, 2015, President Barack Obama stated that he was preparing to unveil a plan to close the facility and move some of the terrorism suspects held there to U.S. soil. The plan would propose one or more prisons from a working list that includes facilities in Kansas, Colorado and South Carolina. Two others that were on

7320-545: The United States, including the United States Army Corps of Engineers . In 2007, the U.S. military began transferring some of its detainees from Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison. By January 2008, as many as 125 detainees from the Parwan Detention Facility and 32 detainees from the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi. This was followed by

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7440-425: The arrest of the PDPA leaders, but he acted too slowly. It took him a week to arrest Taraki, Karmal managed to escape to the USSR , and Amin was merely placed under house arrest. Khan had misjudged the situation and believed that Karmal's Parcham faction was the main communist threat. In fact, according to PDPA documents, Amin's Khalq faction had extensively infiltrated the military and they outnumbered Parcham cells by

7560-481: The bombing of a PIA B707 at Islamabad airport in 1975. The 130 passengers of PIA B707 had deplaned before the explosion took place and thus no one was harmed in the explosion inside the aircraft. At the same time, Afghanistan also faced several short lived uprisings in retaliation in eastern Afghanistan and in Panjshir valley , which Afghanistan blamed on Pakistan. There was also deployment of additional troops by both

7680-503: The camp before his term ends, although his administration has continued with multimillion-dollar expansions to military commissions and other Guantanamo Bay facilities. Following the release of 10 detainees from Guantanamo by April 2023, 30 detainees remain as of June 2024; of these, 16 are awaiting transfer, 11 have been charged or convicted of war crimes, and three are held in indefinite law-of-war detention without facing tribunal charges nor being recommended for release. During

7800-507: The capital. Khan and most of his family were assassinated during the coup by members of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). The coup climaxed in the Arg , the former chief royal palace, during the early hours of 28 April 1978, involving heavy fighting and many deaths. Shortly afterwards, the new military leaders announced that Khan had been killed for refusing to pledge allegiance to

7920-537: The coast of Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . It was established in January 2002 by U.S. President George W. Bush to hold terrorism suspects and " illegal enemy combatants " during the Global War on Terrorism following the attacks of September 11, 2001 . As of August 2024, at least 780 persons from 48 countries have been detained at the camp since its creation, of whom 740 had been transferred elsewhere, 9 died in custody , and 30 remain; only 16 detainees have ever been charged by

8040-651: The communist elements within the coup. He was concerned about the tenor of many communists in his government and Afghanistan's growing dependency on the Soviet Union. These moves were highly criticized by Moscow , which feared that Afghanistan would soon become closer to the West, especially the United States ; the Soviets had always feared that the United States could find a way to influence the government in Kabul. During his latter years in charge, his purge of communists in his government strained his relations with them, while his desire for one person rule created conflicts with

8160-610: The countries along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The same year Kabul was also quietly negotiating with Islamabad to defuse the tensions between the two countries. In early 1976, relations between the two countries improved and the leaders of the two countries, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Douad Khan, exchanged visits. Daoud Khan was also worried about the growing power of communists within his government so he started improving his relations with Pakistan and Iran. The same year Pakistan also provided aid to Afghanistan to help alleviate

8280-417: The country." Some Afghans fondly consider him to be the best leader their country has had in modern times. During his time as prime minister and president, Khan was highly unpopular among the non-Pashtun minorities in Afghanistan because of his alleged Pashtun favouritism. During his regime, all significant positions in the government, army and educational institutions were held by Pashtuns . His attempt at

8400-430: The crime on the prisoners... it's possible they were tortured," said Mufleh al-Qahtani, the group's deputy director, in a statement to the local Al-Riyadh newspaper. Highly disturbed about the deaths of its citizens under U.S. custody, the Saudi government pressed the United States to release its citizens into its custody. From June 2006 through 2007, the U.S. released 93 detainees (of an original 133 Saudis detained) to

8520-438: The current eight, to just two. For security reasons every cell would be equipped with its own toilet, replacing the current insecure method of letting all the captives leave their cells and share a single toilet at the end of each cell block. Under this initial plan, the modernization of this wing cost $ 20 million, and would have a maximum capacity of 670 captives. However, after a tour of the facility, during its modernization, it

8640-400: The deaths. Amnesty International said the apparent suicides "are the tragic results of years of arbitrary and indefinite detention" and called the prison "an indictment" of the George W. Bush administration 's human rights record. Saudi Arabia's state-sponsored Saudi Human Rights group blamed the U.S. for the deaths. "There are no independent monitors at the detention camp so it is easy to pin

8760-724: The detention camp, is operated by the Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) of the Southern Command of the Department of Defense (DoD). The main detention compound is Camp Delta , which replaced the temporary Camp X-Ray in April 2002, with other compounds including Camp Echo , Camp Iguana , and the Guantanamo psychiatric ward . After political appointees at the U.S. Office of Legal Counsel , Department of Justice advised

8880-501: The emancipation of women, giving women a higher public presence, which led to significant amounts of freedom and educational opportunities for them. With the creation of an independent Pakistan in August 1947, Prime Minister Daoud Khan had rejected the Durand Line , which had been accepted as international border by successive Afghan governments for over a half a century. Khan supported

9000-505: The facilities. The remaining prisoners at Camp 7 were transferred to Camp 5. Camp 5, as well as Camp 6, were built in 2003–04. They are modeled after a high security facility in Indiana. In September 2016, Camp 5 was closed and a portion of it dedicated to use as a medical facility for detainees. A portion of Camp 5 was again re-dedicated in early April 2021, when Camp 7 so-called "high value" former CIA detainees were moved there. In Camp 6,

9120-472: The facility was necessary and that prisoners were treated well, nonetheless expressed his desire to have it closed in the beginning of 2005. His administration began winding down the detainee population in large numbers, ultimately releasing or transferring around 540. In 2009, Bush's successor, Barack Obama , issued executive orders to close the facility within one year and identify lawful alternatives for its detainees; however, strong bipartisan opposition from

9240-479: The first time excluding all members of the royal family from the Council of Ministers. Khan had already stepped down. In addition to having been prime minister, he had also held the portfolios of Minister of Defense and Minister of Planning until 1963. Khan was unsatisfied with King Zahir Shah's constitutional parliamentary system and lack of progress. He planned rebellion for more than a year before he seized power from

9360-479: The form of " enhanced interrogation techniques ". As early as October 2003, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned of "deterioration in the psychological health of a large number of detainees". Subsequent reports by international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch , as well as intergovernmental institutions such as the Organization of American States and

9480-483: The government had violated the Conventions in attempting to create a distinction between " prisoners of war " and "illegal combatants." Amnesty International called the situation "a human rights scandal" in a series of reports. One of the allegations of abuse at the camp is the abuse of the religion of the detainees. Prisoners released from the camp have alleged incidents of abuse of religion including flushing

9600-528: The incident. After this event, the Pentagon reclassified alleged suicide attempts as "manipulative self-injurious behaviors". Camp physicians alleged that detainees do not genuinely wish to end their lives, rather, the prisoners supposedly feel that they may be able to get better treatment or release with suicide attempts. Daryl Matthews , a professor of forensic psychiatry at the University of Hawaii who examined

9720-470: The leftists. According to one account, Daoud Khan planned to appoint Maiwandwal as prime minister, leading to the Parchamite Minister of Interior, Faiz Mohammad , along with fellow communists, framing Maiwandwal in a coup plot, then torturing him to death without Daoud Khan's knowledge. Louis Dupree wrote that Maiwandwal, one of few Afghan politicians with an international reputation, could have been

9840-711: The liberals who had been in charge during the monarchy. At the same time, his persecution of religious conservatives engendered enmity with them and their followers as well. As during his time as prime minister, Daoud Khan again pressed on the question of Pashtunistan , again leading to sometimes tense relations with Pakistan. Daoud hosted General Secretary of the National Awami Party Khan Abdul Wali Khan , Ajmal Khattak , Juma Khan Sufi, Baluch guerrillas, and others. Khan's government and forces also commenced training of anti-Pakistani groups to conduct militant action and sabotage in Pakistan. The campaign

9960-524: The list, in California and Washington state, do not appear to have made the preliminary cut, according to a senior administration official familiar with the proposal. By the end of the Obama Administration on January 19, 2017, however, the detention center remained open, with 41 detainees remaining. In June 2022, The New York Times publicly released photographs of the first camp detainees following

10080-464: The media at the time as the " Tipton Three ", were repatriated to the United Kingdom in March 2004, where officials immediately released them without charge. The three alleged ongoing torture, sexual degradation , forced drugging, and religious persecution being committed by U.S. forces at Guantánamo Bay. The former Guantanamo detainee Mehdi Ghezali was freed without charge on 9 July 2004, after two and

10200-422: The multiparty system that existed under the monarchy. Social and economic reforms implemented under his ruling were successful, but his foreign policy led to tense relations with neighboring countries. In 1978, he was deposed and assassinated during the 1978 Afghan coup d'état , led by the Afghan military and the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). His body was discovered 30 years later and

10320-402: The new regime by Lieutenant Imamuddin of the 444th Commando Battalion. Upon Daoud's assassination, Afghan singer Fazal Ghani wrote the song “ Khalqi Nizam” which mocked the former president for his baldness and for being “finished with one strike”, which was aired on Radio Television Afghanistan . On 28 June 2008, his body and those of his family were found in two separate mass graves outside

10440-548: The number of suicide attempts is higher. On 10 June 2006 three detainees were found dead, who, according to the DoD, "killed themselves in an apparent suicide pact." Prison commander Rear Admiral Harry Harris claimed this was not an act of desperation, despite prisoners' pleas to the contrary, but rather "an act of asymmetric warfare committed against us." The three detainees were said to have hanged themselves with nooses made of sheets and clothes. According to military officials,

10560-501: The numbers as usual. Some detainees are taking a token amount of food as part of the traditional breaking of the fast at the end of each day in Ramadan, so that is now conveniently allowing them to be counted as not striking." In 2014, the Obama administration undertook a "rebranding effort" by referring to the hunger strikes as "long term non-religious fasting." Attorney Alka Pradhan petitioned

10680-415: The prefix " Sardar ", Khan started as a provincial governor and later a military officer before being appointed as prime minister by his cousin, King Mohammad Zahir Shah , serving for a decade. Having failed to persuade the King to implement a one-party system, Khan overthrew the monarchy in a virtually bloodless coup with the backing of Afghan Army officers, and proclaimed himself the first president of

10800-448: The prison was taken over by forces of the Taliban after the fall of President Ashraf Ghani 's government. The Taliban released most inmates from the jail, including many of their fellow members. Mohammed Daoud Khan Mohammad Daoud Khan ( Pashto : محمد داود خان ; also romanized as Daud Khan or Dawood Khan ; 18   July 1909 – 28   April 1978)

10920-498: The prisoners losing confidence in their medical care. The ICRC's access to the base was conditioned, as is normal for ICRC humanitarian operations, on the confidentiality of their report. Following leaking of the U.S. memo, some in the ICRC wanted to make their report public or confront the U.S. administration. The newspaper said the administration and the Pentagon had seen the ICRC report in July 2004 but rejected its findings. The story

11040-442: The prisoners, stated that given the cultural differences between interrogators and prisoners, "intent" was difficult, if not impossible to ascertain. Clinical depression is common in Guantánamo, with 1/5 of all prisoners being prescribed antidepressants such as Prozac . Guantanamo Bay officials have reported 41 suicide attempts by 25 detainees since the U.S. began taking prisoners to the base in January 2002. Defense lawyers contend

11160-706: The probe into FBI accounts of abuse of Guantánamo prisoners by Defense Department personnel, concluded the man (Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi, described as the " 20th hijacker ") was subjected to "abusive and degrading treatment" by "the cumulative effect of creative, persistent and lengthy interrogations." The techniques used were authorized by the Pentagon, he said. Many of the released prisoners have complained of enduring beatings, sleep deprivation, prolonged constraint in uncomfortable positions, prolonged hooding , cultural and sexual humiliation, enemas as well as other forced injections, and other physical and psychological mistreatment during their detention in Camp Delta. During

11280-525: The protections of the Geneva Conventions , while also claiming it was treating "all detainees consistently with the principles of the Geneva Convention." Ensuing U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 2004 have determined otherwise and that U.S. courts do have jurisdiction: it ruled in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld on June 29, 2006, that detainees were entitled to the minimal protections listed under Common Article 3 of

11400-567: The question of prisoner treatment. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler also ordered the U.S. government to release medical records going back a week before such feedings took place. In early November 2005, the U.S. suddenly accelerated, for unknown reasons, the rate of prisoner release, but this was not sustained. Detainee Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dayfi has alleged that during his time as a JAG officer in Guantanamo, Ron DeSantis oversaw force-feedings of detainees. In May 2013, detainees undertook

11520-657: The reunification of the Pashtun people failed to gain support from the majority of Pashtuns in Pakistan . In 1960, Khan sent troops across the poorly-marked Durand Line into the Bajaur Agency of Pakistan in an attempt to manipulate events in that area and to press the Pashtunistan issue, but the Afghan forces were defeated by the Pashtun Tribal militias. During this period, the propaganda war from Afghanistan, carried on by radio,

11640-399: The same tubes from one patient to another. The detainees say no sedatives were provided during these procedures, which they allege took place in front of U.S. physicians, including the head of the prison hospital. "A hunger striking detainee at Guantánamo Bay wants a judge to order the removal of his feeding tube so he can be allowed to die", one of his lawyers has said. Within a few weeks,

11760-460: The site has long been used for alleged " enemy combatants ". The DoD at first kept secret the identity of the individuals held in Guantanamo, but after losing attempts to defy a Freedom of Information Act request from the Associated Press , the U.S. military officially acknowledged holding 779 prisoners in the camp. The Bush administration asserted that detainees were not entitled to any of

11880-464: The suffering caused by earthquake and floods in northern Afghanistan. This gesture by Pakistan had helped mollify Afghan public opinion about Pakistan. By October 1976, the head of Pakistan intelligence agency, Jilani was informing a US diplomat that Afghanistan was no longer creating troubles for Pakistan. By August 1976 relations with Pakistan had improved to a high degree. Later on, while promoting his new foreign policy doctrine, Daoud Khan came to

12000-495: The suicides were coordinated acts of protests. Human rights activists and defense attorneys said the deaths signaled the desperation of many of the detainees. Barbara Olshansky of the Center for Constitutional Rights , which represented about 300 Guantánamo detainees, said that detainees "have this incredible level of despair that they will never get justice." At the time, human rights groups called for an independent public inquiry into

12120-466: The transfer of some 250 more detainees. The United States repeatedly announced that it will be shutting down its Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba . The Americans planned to transfer most of the captives held in extrajudicial detention in Guantanamo, and in its less well known Parwan Detention Facility to Afghan custody. The initial plan called for reducing the maximum number of men held per cell from

12240-530: The walls of Pul-e-Charkhi prison , District 12 of Kabul city. Initial reports indicate that sixteen corpses were in one grave and twelve in the other. On 4 December 2008, the Afghan Health Ministry announced that Daoud's body had been identified on the basis of teeth molds and a small golden Quran, a present he had received from the King of Saudi Arabia , found near the body. On 17 March 2009, General Daoud

12360-606: Was Governor of Kandahar Province from 1935 to 1938. In 1939, Khan was promoted to Commander of the Central Forces. As commander, he led Afghan forces against the Safi during the Afghan tribal revolts of 1944–1947 . From 1946 to 1948, he served as Defense Minister , then Interior Minister from 1949 to 1951. In 1948, he served as Afghan Ambassador to France. In 1951, he was promoted to General and served in that capacity as Commander of

12480-477: Was a ministerial carryover from Khan's Prime Minister era (1953–1963); Majid was Minister of Education from 1953 to 1957, and from 1973 was appointed Minister of Justice until 1977. Initially about half of the new cabinet were either current members, former members or sympathizers of the PDPA , but over time their influence would be eradicated by Khan. A coup against Khan, which may have been planned before he took power,

12600-465: Was an Afghan military officer, specifically the commander of the 1st Central Corps, and politician who served as prime minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and, as leader of the 1973 Afghan coup d'état which overthrew the monarchy , served as the first president of Afghanistan from 1973 until his assassination in the Saur Revolution . Born into the Afghan royal family and addressed by

12720-475: Was an al-Qaeda member who recruited for, and provided money for, al-Qaeda training camps and himself trained there to fight US or allied troops. Camp Delta was a 612-unit detention center finished in April 2002. It included detention camps 1 through 4, as well as Camp Echo, where detainees not facing military commissions are held. Camp X-Ray was a temporary detention facility, which was closed in April 2002. Its prisoners were transferred to Camp Delta. In 2008,

12840-695: Was assassinated in 1933 in Berlin , while serving as the Afghan Ambassador to Germany. He and his brother Prince Naim Khan (1911–1978) then came under the tutelage of their uncle Mohammad Hashim Khan (1884–1953). Daoud proved to be an apt student of politics. Educated in France , he served as a senior administrator in the Kingdom of Afghanistan , serving as Governor of the Eastern Province in 1934–35 and in 1938–39, and

12960-466: Was finally resolved with his forced resignation in March 1963 and the re-opening of the border in May. Pakistan continued to remain suspicious of Afghan intentions and Daoud's policy left a negative impression in the eyes of many Tajiks who felt they were being disenfranchised for the sake of Pashtun nationalism . He was succeeded by Mohammad Yusuf . In 1964, King Zahir Shah introduced a new constitution , for

13080-559: Was given a state funeral. His only surviving child, Dorkhanai, attended the funeral. Daoud and following family members that were killed (resembling the Murder of the Romanov family by the Bolsheviks ) on the same day on 28 April 1978 are buried at an incomplete hilltop tomb located 2.5 km west of Darul Aman Palace , Kabul: News sources in the 1970s claimed that General Daoud Khan said he

13200-483: Was happiest when he could "light his American cigarettes with Soviet matches." Mohammad Daoud Khan was retrospectively described as an "old-fashioned statesman, compassionate yet reserved and authoritarian" by The Guardian ' s Nushin Arbabzadeh. Then-President Hamid Karzai hailed Khan's courage and patriotism in comments after his 2009 state funeral, saying he was "always thinking of the advancement and prosperity of

13320-460: Was identified by a small golden Quran gifted by King Khalid of Saudi Arabia he always carried. He received a state funeral . Mohammad Daoud Khan was born in Kabul , Emirate of Afghanistan , into a Barakzai Pashtun family and was the eldest son of the diplomat Prince Mohammad Aziz Khan (1877–1933; an older half-brother of King Mohammad Nadir Shah ) and his wife, Khurshid Begum . His father

13440-940: Was less sparse by the standards of Guantanamo Bay, with private kitchens, showers, televisions, and beds with mattresses. The camp was divided into eight units. Its existence was revealed to the Associated Press in 2013. A 2013 Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP) report concluded that health professionals working with the military and intelligence services "designed and participated in cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and torture of detainees." Medical professionals were ordered to ignore ethical standards during involvement in abusive interrogation, including monitoring of vital signs under stress-inducing procedures. They used medical information for interrogation purposes and participated in force-feeding of hunger strikers , in violation of World Medical Association and American Medical Association prohibitions. Supporters of controversial techniques have declared that certain protections of

13560-401: Was not supported. It suggested that camp administration officials had either been grossly negligent or were participating in a cover-up of the deaths. In January 2010 Scott Horton published an article in Harper's Magazine disputing the government's findings and suggesting the three died of accidental manslaughter following torture. His account was based on the testimony of four members of

13680-585: Was originally reported in several newspapers, including The Guardian , and the ICRC reacted to the article when the report was leaked in May. According to a 21 June 2005 New York Times opinion article, on 29 July 2004, an FBI agent was quoted as saying, "On a couple of occasions, I entered interview rooms to find a detainee chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor, with no chair, food or water. Most times, they had urinated or defecated on themselves and had been left there for 18, 24 hours or more." Air Force Lt. Gen. Randall Schmidt , who headed

13800-421: Was realized that, for cultural reasons, captives could not be expected to share a toilet with another man. Afghan cultural modesty would not allow a captive to use a toilet with another man present, cutting the capacity of the modernized facility in half. On May 6, 2007, two American soldiers, Colonel James W. Harrison Jr. and Master Sergeant Wilberto Sabalu , part of the oversight team, were shot dead by one of

13920-453: Was relentless. In 1961, Daoud Khan made another attempt to invade Bajaur with larger Afghan army this time. However, Pakistan employed F-86 Sabres jets which inflicted heavy casualties against the Afghan army unit and the tribesmen from Kunar province who were supporting the Afghan army. Several Afghan soldiers were also captured and were paraded in front of international media, which in turn caused embarrassment for Daoud Khan. In 1961, as

14040-464: Was repressed shortly after his seizure of power. In October 1973, Mohammad Hashim Maiwandwal , a former prime minister and a highly respected former diplomat, was arrested in a coup plot and died in prison before his trial set for December 1973. This was at a time when Parchamites controlled the Ministry of Interior under circumstances corroborating the widespread belief that he had been tortured to death by

14160-619: Was significant enough that even one of Bhutto's senior colleagues, minister of interior and head of the provincial branch of Bhutto's party of/in the then- North-West Frontier Province (renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2010), Hayat Sherpao , was killed, ostensibly on the orders of the later-acquitted Awami Party. As a result, Afghanistan's already strained relationship with Pakistan further dipped and Pakistan likewise started similar kinds of cross-border interference. By 1975, Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto , through its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had begun to engage in promoting

14280-410: Was submitted in connection with a lawsuit filed in federal district court by former detainee Adel Hassan Hamad against the United States government and several individual officials. This supported numerous claims made by former detainees like Moazzam Begg , a British citizen who had been held for three years in detention camps in Afghanistan and Guantanamo as an enemy combatant, under the claim that he

14400-480: Was to increase the Pashtuns' disproportionate hold on political power. Abdul Ghaffar Khan (founder of Khudai Khidmatgar movement), stated "that Daoud Khan only exploited the idea of reunification of Pashtun people to meet his own political ends. The idea of reunification of Pashtun people never helped Pashtuns and it only caused trouble for Pakistan. In fact it was never a reality". Moreover, Daoud Khan's project for

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