Guantanamo Bay detention camp

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/guantanamo-bay-detention-camp

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was the Guantanamo Bay detention camp built?January 2002
2. What is the location?Guantánamo Bay, Cuba
3. What is the current detainees?15 individuals remain as of January 2025, with varying legal statuses
4. Why did the U.S. create the camp after 9/11?After the September 11 attacks, the U.S. wanted a place to keep people who might be dangerous. President George W. Bush opened the camp in 2002 to hold suspected terrorists. The goal was to stop them from doing more attacks.
5. Where exactly is the camp located?It is inside the U.S. Naval Station on the southeastern coast of Cuba. The U.S. has a lease on that land since 1903, but Cuba does not agree it is U.S. territory.

Extraterritoriality: The state of being outside the territory of the country to which one belongs, often with special legal status.
Habeas Corpus: A fundamental legal right requiring that a detained person be brought before a judge to determine the legality of their detention.
Military Commissions: Special tribunals established to try individuals accused of war crimes, often with different rules of evidence and procedure than civilian courts.
Due Process: The legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights that are owed to a person, ensuring fair treatment through the normal judicial system.