Guantanamo_Bay_detainment_camp_library
Guantanamo Bay detainment camp library
Library
The library made available to detainees held in extrajudicial detention in the United States Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba, is notable for the controversy it has stirred.
Access to books, particularly the Harry Potter series, is widely described as a sign that the conditions for the detainees has improved.[1][2][3][4]
The Department of Defense reports that Guantanamo detainees have access to 3,500 volumes, though they are attempting to increase the collection to 10,000–20,000[2][5][6]
Guantanamo detainees such as David Hicks reported that the "reading room" did not contain any reading material itself.[7] They have to "order" books in advance.[5] According to the Library Journal the Associated Press reported that the detainees have been known to use the books to pass messages to each other. Now each book is checked when it was returned. Detainees who break this rule lose their library privileges.
Popular books and authors include the Harry Potter series, Agatha Christie mysteries, Khalil Gibran, self-help manual Don't Be Sad[5] and The Lord of the Rings.[8][9]