Documentaries

Articles

Podcasts

Topics

Business and Economy

Climate and Environment

Criminal Justice

Health

Immigration

Journalism Under Threat

Social Issues

U.S. Politics

War and Conflict

World

View All Topics

More

Visual & Interactive Stories

Interviews

Local Journalism

Newsletter

Announcements

Schedule

About FRONTLINE

Documentaries

Guantanamo Bay

Watch Preview

Documentary

Out of Gitmo

With NPR, a report on the struggle over freeing prisoners once deemed international terrorists

February 21, 2017

Watch Now

FRONTLINE investigated how the U.S. government has used the naval base and prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Our reporting examined how the government first held people there outside the reach of U.S. law, what happened in the controversial military prison, and why the struggle over freeing prisoners once deemed international terrorists has been so complex.

Related Topics:

Terrorism

Guantanamo Bay Documentaries

Out of Gitmo

40m

Forever Prison

15m

Bush's War

Bush’s War

2h 25m

Support provided by:

Learn More

All Stories in Guantanamo Bay

Flashback: The Little-Known History of Guantanamo Bay
Article
Flashback: The Little-Known History of Guantanamo Bay
President Trump’s stated plan to detain 30,000 migrants at the naval base brings a little-known history back into the spotlight: When the U.S. held Haitian asylum seekers there starting in the early 1990s
January 31, 2025
Donald Rumsfeld, dead at 88, chronicled in a number of FRONTLINE documentaries
Article
A Look at Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s Legacy, Following His Death at 88
FRONTLINE chronicled his influence in a number of documentaries about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
June 30, 2021
After Trump’s State of the Union, Get the Backstory on 5 Key Issues
Article
After Trump’s State of the Union, Get the Backstory on 5 Key Issues
From MS-13, to opioids, to North Korea, explore FRONTLINE's reporting for the backstory on five of the issues President Trump touched on in his speech
January 31, 2018
Chuck Hagel: Closing Guantanamo is an “Imperfect Process”
Article
Chuck Hagel: Closing Guantanamo is an “Imperfect Process”
There's no way to 100 percent guarantee that any detainee transferred out of Guantanamo won't return to terror, says the former Defense Secretary, but "we’re talking about people’s lives here, and we’ve made mistakes."
February 22, 2017
Matt Olsen: “Politics” Kept Guantanamo Open, “Not National Security”
Article
Matt Olsen: “Politics” Kept Guantanamo Open, “Not National Security”
"Do we really want to continue to keep people forever in a prison in Cuba?", asks the former director of the National Counterterrorism Center
February 22, 2017
How 30 “Forever Prisoners” Got Out of Gitmo
How 30 “Forever Prisoners” Got Out of Gitmo
To shrink the detainee population at Guantanamo Bay, the Obama administration transferred 30 men once deemed too dangerous to let out. Who were they?
February 22, 2017
Released Guantanamo Detainee Struggles In His New Home
Article
Released Guantanamo Detainee Struggles In His New Home
Are former detainees still a threat or just desperate to rebuild their lives? In partnership with NPR, correspondent Arun Rath traveled to Serbia to find out why it's difficult to relocate the men
February 21, 2017
Out of Gitmo
Documentary
Out of Gitmo
With NPR, a report on the struggle over freeing prisoners once deemed international terrorists
February 21, 2017
Forever Prison
Documentary
Forever Prison
The untold history of the Guantanamo Bay prison
February 21, 2017
WATCH: What Happens to Detainees Once They’re Out of Gitmo?
Article
WATCH: What Happens to Detainees Once They’re Out of Gitmo?
With Guantanamo's future unclear under President Trump, tonight's new FRONTLINE goes inside the controversial U.S. military prison in Cuba
February 21, 2017
Trump Inherits Guantanamo’s Remaining Detainees
Article
Trump Inherits Guantanamo’s Remaining Detainees
Despite President Obama's executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison, dozens of detainees from the war on terror are still there
January 19, 2017
The 9/11 Trial: Three Takeaways from This Week in Court
Article
The 9/11 Trial: Three Takeaways from This Week in Court
The war court at Guantanamo Bay reconvened this week, with attorneys arguing a full docket of pre-trial motions in the case against the five men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks
October 14, 2016
Voices of Detainees and Dissent in New CIA “Enhanced Interrogation” Documents
Article
Voices of Detainees and Dissent in New CIA “Enhanced Interrogation” Documents
New documents fill in some gaps in public knowledge about the CIA's post-9/11 detention and interrogation program that was investigated by the Senate
June 16, 2016
A Change in Narrative at the 9/11 Trial?
Article
A Change in Narrative at the 9/11 Trial?
Prosecutors asked Judge James L. Pohl to let the war court at Guantanamo hear testimony from 9/11 victims’ family -- before the actual trial begins
June 1, 2016
Are the Guantanamo Tribunals Still About 9/11?
Article
Are the Guantanamo Tribunals Still About 9/11?
The battles playing out in the courtroom to date have been less about the criminality of the 9/11 attacks and more about how to balance the defendants’ right to material that is essential to their defense with national security concerns
May 30, 2016
As Obama’s Term Winds Down, Concerns Grow Over Guantanamo
Article
As Obama’s Term Winds Down, Concerns Grow Over Guantanamo
With less than 16 months remaining in President Obama’s term, advocates for shutting down the controversial prison are increasingly on edge that it won’t be closed before he leaves office
September 25, 2015
Why’s It Taking So Long to Close Guantanamo?
Article
Why’s It Taking So Long to Close Guantanamo?
President Obama has had a great summer. But one of the first items he vowed to check off as president remains undone: closing the Guantanamo Bay prison
July 16, 2015
What the CIA Did to Its Detainees
What the CIA Did to Its Detainees
Here's what we know about the 39 men who were subjected to the CIA's "enhanced interrogation techniques."
May 19, 2015
Voices from the “Dark Side”: The CIA Torture Debate
Article
Voices from the “Dark Side”: The CIA Torture Debate
A Senate investigation has prompted new debate on the CIA's use of "enhanced interrogation" in the aftermath of 9/11. So what did key players who helped shape the policy think at the time?
December 10, 2014
Four Guantanamo Detainees Sent Home in Recent Weeks
Article
Four Guantanamo Detainees Sent Home in Recent Weeks
Six years after President Obama promised to shutter the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, his administration has picked up the pace on repatriating detainees. The only problem: not all of the prisoners want to go home
December 18, 2013

Get our Newsletter

Thank you! Your subscription request has been received.

Stay Connected

Explore

Home

Documentaries

Articles

Topics

Visual & Interactive

Interviews

Podcasts

Local Journalism

Info

About FRONTLINE

History

Awards

Our Funders

Donate

Announcements

Newsletter

Schedule

Our Team

Senior Team

Who We Are

Jobs / Internships

Contact Us

Policies

Editorial Standards and Ethics

Journalistic Guidelines

Privacy Policy

PBS Privacy Policy

PBS Terms of Use

Corporate Sponsorship

Teacher Center

PBS Learning Media

FRONTLINE Teacher Center

FRONTLINE Journalism Fund

Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation

Koo and Patricia Yuen

FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; Park Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Web Site Copyright ©1995-2025 WGBH Educational Foundation. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

PBS logo
Corporation for Public Broadcasting logo
Abrams Foundation logo
PARK Foundation logo
MacArthur Foundation logo
Heising-Simons Foundation logo