Camp Five Echo

Camp Five Echo

Company type	Disciplinary section within a detention camp
Industry	Detention / Corrections
Founded	November 2007
Headquarters	Guantanamo Bay , Cuba
Products	Detention facilities for punitive segregation

Camp Five Echo refers to a previously undisclosed disciplinary section within the Guantanamo Bay detention camps located in Cuba. Established in November 2007 with an investment of $690,000, it functioned as a punitive area inside the detention facility.

The facility came under public scrutiny in December 2011 when legal representatives of detainee Shaker Aamer condemned its conditions as inhumane. Descriptions highlight that its cells are considerably smaller than those elsewhere in Camp Five, featuring inadequate toilet facilities, intense lighting, and poor ventilation. These factors have led to accusations of harsh treatment despite detainees not having been convicted.

Military authorities have defended the conditions at Camp Five Echo, affirming compliance with regulations and safety standards, although they acknowledge these cells are more severe than typical accommodations. At the time of reporting, approximately 50 detainees were housed in Camp Five, but the Five Echo section was unoccupied.

Similar to Camp Platinum, Camp Strawberry Fields, and Camp No, Camp Five Echo was deliberately excluded from official Guantanamo Bay tours, underscoring its status as a discreet disciplinary unit.

Construction history

According to Rosenberg, the camp was built in November 2007 within the perimeter of Camp Five. Unlike Camps Five and Six—which are modeled after prisons operated by the United States Bureau of Prisons—Camp Five Echo was constructed using repurposed shipping containers.

An Admiral Patrick Walsh report from February 2009 described the facility as "an open-air compound consisting of 24 adjacent steel mesh cells arranged in two parallel lines." The first detainees were placed there in April 2008. Rosenberg noted uncertainty about when the original mesh walls were replaced with solid steel panels. A military spokesperson explained that Camp Five Echo’s cells are roughly half the size of those found in Camp Five but still conform to acceptable standards.

Like the initial Camp Xray setup, these cells included squat toilets and washing taps but lacked basins. Detainees, including Shaker Aamer, reported that the solid steel walls severely limited their ability to communicate.

In 2011, Rosenberg disclosed through an email from camp representative Commander Tamsen Reese that constructing Camp Five Echo cost $690,000.

Use

Admiral Walsh’s documentation verified that the first use occurred on 28 April 2008. Attorney David Remes mentioned that aside from Shaker Aamer, two other clients had been confined there and criticized the conditions for breaching the Geneva Conventions, describing it as "a return to Guantánamo’s darker past." Aamer endured solitary confinement there for over 100 days before the camp’s existence became publicly known.

Colonel Donnie Thomas, who commanded the guards, asserted that Camp Five Echo was "safe, humane and complies with all regulations." He refrained from detailing specific violations warranting placement but indicated that detainees’ behavior influenced their housing assignments. Following media attention due to Aamer’s confinement, Thomas stated that the camp was empty but did not reveal when it was last used. Regulations restrict solitary confinement to a maximum of thirty days.

Aamer’s attorney, Ramzi Kaseem, described conditions as "deplorable," highlighting difficult-to-use squat toilets, persistent unpleasant odors, continuous bright lighting, and cold air conditioning. Aamer also reported that cell size prevented proper prayer.

In a January 2012 article commemorating Guantanamo’s tenth anniversary, Rosenberg reported escalating unrest linked to a newly implemented 25-day punitive segregation policy conducted in cramped cells at Camp Five Echo. Detainees planned a hunger strike as a form of protest.

By May 2012, Kassem indicated that the contentious sleep deprivation method known as the frequent flyer program was employed as punishment within Camp Five Echo. From July through December 2011, Aamer was confined around-the-clock and subjected to sleep deprivation while detained there.