The New York Times has published never-before-seen photos from the infamous US-run detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Washington began extra-judicially detaining and extraditing inmates from the Middle East and elsewhere to the off-shore prison shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The photos were obtained from the National Archives using the Freedom of Information Act, and show the first batch of detainees arriving from Afghanistan in January 2002.
The men were transported aboard a military plane under sensory deprivation. In addition to orange robes, the guards made them wear earmuffs and blacked-out goggles with duct tape over the lenses.
A crew member placed a small US flag in the hand of a blindfolded prisoner, according to the Times.
The prisoners were handcuffed and shackled during their journey. On the ground, they were met by Marines in full combat gear.
Approximately 780 prisoners have been held in Guantanamo, many without charges and trial, and some due to mistaken identity. The facility currently houses 37 inmates.
A US Senate investigation confirmed that detainees were waterboarded and subjected to other brutal treatment as part of what the CIA dubbed ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’.
Former President Barack Obama promised to close the Guantanamo detention center, but ultimately failed.