Camp Iguana
| Company type | Detention facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Detention / Military |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Defunct | Winter 2004 (initial juvenile detainee use) |
| Fate | Reopened in 2005 for non-enemy combatant detainees; later closed |
| Headquarters | Guantánamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba |
| Products | Detention services for juvenile detainees and former enemy combatants |
Camp Iguana is a modest facility located within the Guantanamo Bay detention camp on the US Naval installation at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Originally, it accommodated three juvenile detainees—who were the only individuals under the age of 16 detained, according to DOD criteria. The camp ceased operations in winter 2004 following their return to their home countries.
After a 2005 judicial mandate required disclosure of detainee identities, the DOD confirmed that up to twenty minors (under 18 years old) had been held in the adult detention area. That same year, Camp Iguana was reopened to house some of the 38 detainees classified as "no longer enemy combatants" by Combatant Status Review Tribunals. This group notably included several Uyghurs, whose repatriation was delayed due to diplomatic complications and concerns over persecution if returned to China.
Facility for juvenile detainees
Beginning in 2002, Camp Iguana functioned as a dedicated center for juvenile detainees. Then-U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao underscored the obligation to provide special treatment and support for child soldiers, facilitating their eventual reintegration.
Critics contended that adherence to the Geneva Conventions at the time of capture would have prompted earlier status determinations, potentially preventing juveniles from being transferred to Guantanamo. Initially, the executive branch maintained that enemy combatants were beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts; however, in 2004, the United States Supreme Court ruled that detainees possess the right to contest their detention before impartial tribunals. This led to the establishment of Combatant Status Review Tribunals.
In a 2004 interview with the BBC, Afghan youth Naqibullah recounted receiving humane treatment and access to educational programs while at Camp Iguana.
A memo dated February 2004 from General Geoffrey Miller highlighted significant improvements among juvenile detainees, noting psychological healing and optimistic attitudes upon release.
By early 2005, reports indicated that additional teenage detainees were housed within the general population and treated as adults. Military officials clarified that age assessments relied on medical examinations such as bone scans due to the absence of birth documentation.
Among these youths was Omar Khadr, apprehended at age 15; U.S. intelligence agencies identified him because of his family's prominence and cooperation with the CIA. He was accused of killing a U.S. medic during combat before being detained and receiving medical treatment for injuries.
Another minor detainee was Saudi national Abdul Salam Mureef Ghaithan Al Shehri, who was captured at 15 and marked his 18th birthday while still at Guantanamo in April 2005.
In September 2005, human rights attorney Clive Stafford Smith connected ongoing detention of juveniles aged 16 to 18 at Guantanamo with hunger strikes protesting detention conditions; some participants endured solitary confinement. The United Nations classified force-feeding hunger strikers as a form of torture.
In May 2009, Afghan advocacy organizations disputed U.S. bone scan-based age estimates for former detainee Mohammed Jawad, arguing he may have been as young as 12 or 13 when detained in December 2002.
Former detainees awaiting resettlement
On August 25, 2005, Camp Iguana reopened to accommodate detainees whose CSRTs had determined they were no longer "enemy combatants." Other individuals declassified as enemy combatants, such as Sami Al Laithi, continued to be held at Camp Delta.
On May 5, 2006, five Uighurs previously held at Camp Iguana were relocated to a refugee facility in Albania ahead of habeas corpus proceedings. These five were part of a group of fifteen Uighurs cleared as non-enemy combatants but retained while resettlement options were explored due to fears of persecution if returned to China.
Abu Baker Qassim, one of the Uighurs transferred to Albania, indicated that Camp Iguana had housed nine innocent men prior to their departure. The remaining individuals included a Russian national, an Algerian, a Libyan, and a man born in Saudi Arabia to Uighur exile parents.
On September 30, 2008, Assistant Attorney General Gregory Katsas submitted a status notice concerning the seventeen remaining Uyghur detainees, affirming they were no longer considered enemy combatants. Despite this designation, several remained confined in solitary cells. The Department of Defense announced plans to move all Uyghurs to Camp Iguana for improved living conditions.
See also
External links
- "USA: Children among those held in Guantánamo Bay", press release by Amnesty International, dated 20 November 2003
- "A 12-year-old recounts his time as a terror detainee: The youngest captive endured 17 months in custody, including one year at Guantanamo", San Francisco Chronicle, 12 February 2005
- "‘Cuba? It was great,’ say boys released from US detention facility", The Guardian, 6 June 2004
- "Guantanamo Bay’s Youngest Inmates", published 6 June 2005
- Clive Stafford Smith, "Guantanamo Bay’s Youngest Prisoners", Melbourne Indymedia, 19 August 2005
- Virtual three-dimensional tour of Camp Delta including Camp Iguana (from the art initiative Zone*Interdite)
- "Children held at Guantanamo Bay", The Independent, 28 May 2006