Guantanamo Bay   Guantanamo Bay was leased to the US by Cuba on
February 23, 1903, as part of the Cuban-American Treaty.
Although the US had maintained a military presence at Guantanamo
Bay since the Spanish-American War, the perpetual lease has
allowed the US military to construct a permanent naval base on
the site. The base has been in regular use since the early
twentieth century and has been a source of consistent tension
between the American and Cuban governments. The facilities at
Guantanamo Bay have taken on a special significance in the wake
of 9/11. The base houses detention facilities used to
incarcerate individuals captured by the US military during
execution of the War on Terror. The first of those prisoners
arrived at Guantanamo Bay a decade ago on January 11, 2002.
Engendering both domestic and international concern, the
detention center has been the source of deep controversy since
its opening. The legal status of the detainees has been hotly
contested -- as has the prisoners' lack of access to