WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) responds today to news from the Guantánamo detention facility that several detainees long held there were transferred out of U.S. custody.

“This is excellent news. After decades of detention, transfer of these men marks vital progress,” said Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst. “We welcome this significant step by the Biden administration as part of its commitment to upholding human rights and closing Guantánamo, and we urge the administration to keep going. There is still time for significant progress while President Biden remains in office.”

The Center for Victims of Torture has long advocated for the closure of Guantánamo as a human rights obligation. Detainees have been subjected to torture there and as part of the CIA torture program in black sites around the world post 9/11. They suffer from the effects of those abuses, and many are now experiencing serious health problems as they age, due to inadequate medical care at Guantánamo. In addition, prolonged indefinite detention causes physical and psychological trauma, for which rehabilitative care must also be provided. Rizvi said, “There is no question: ending these harms is a step forward for the United States’ moral responsibility on human rights.”

CVT has worked with human rights organizations and partners to make change at Guantánamo, including developing this explainer and the resources found here. Our experts have written extensively calling for the closure of the facility, including through plea agreements in the 9/11 case, the grave medical crisis there, the need to provide culturally competent medical care to detainees, and ending the use of torture-derived evidence. In 2021, CVT submitted this statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee for its hearing, “Closing Guantánamo: Ending 20 Years of Injustice.” CVT also provided a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee ahead of its October 2023 review of the United States’ compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Torture was at the core of the founding of Guantánamo,” said Yumna Rizvi. “Today the U.S. has taken important action in its efforts to move out from under torture’s dark and far-reaching shadow.”

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The Center for Victims of Torture is a nonprofit organization with offices in Ethiopia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Uganda, United States and additional project sites around the world. Visit www.cvt.org