Guantanamo Bay prison has been described as the worst ever insult to human rights in America’s history. But 30 of those released, including a Russian, have returned to terrorism. So, what’s more important – human rights or stopping terrorism?

For Guantanamo officials, it’s not easy to separate the guilty from the innocent.

To prove the point, U.S. Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Bush, recalls one specific case of a Russian detainee, Ruslan Odizhev, who was captured in Afghanistan in 2004.

At the time he was wanted Russia for his part in the deadly 1999 terrorist apartment bombings in Moscow. Bush says “it was very obvious that he was not a good guy.”

Within a year the U.S. military decided to release Odizhev, along with six other Russian prisoners, because of a lack of incriminating evidence.

After his release Odizhev was allegedly involved in the 2005 Nalchik raids. He was gunned down this year in a fire fight with police.

“Sometimes you have to let the bad guys go and they continue to be bad guys,” says Lieutenant-Colonel Bush.

Human rights activists say this shouldn't be used as an excuse to keep others in prison indefinitely.

“The idea that somebody might possibly be dangerous in the future is not a good enough reason to hold them in jail for the rest of their lives,” says Jumna Mousa from Amnesty International.