Habeas corpus petitions of Guantanamo Bay detainees
Open-knowledge reference entry
In United States law, habeas corpus is a recourse challenging the reasons or conditions of a person's detention under color of law. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. A persistent standard of indefinite detention without trial and incidents of torture led the operations of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to be challenged internationally as an affront to international human rights, and challenged domestically as a violation of the Due Process Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution, including the right of petition for habeas corpus. On 19 February 2002, Guantanamo detainees petitioned in federal court for a writ of habeas corpus to review the legality of their detention.
Numerous cases were tried on this matter, with different outcomes, initially denying the right of petition and later affirming the right of petition. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly denied the detainees' petitions on 30 July 2002, finding that aliens in Cuba had no access to U.S. courts.
Al Odah v. United States affirmed on 11 March 2003.
On 28 June 2004, the Supreme Court decided against the Government in Rasul v. Bush.
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