Guantánamo Bay

The Forever Prisoner is an HBO Max documentary about Abu Zubaydah, the first 'high-value detainee' subjected to the CIA's enhanced interrogation program after 9/11, still held at Guantánamo without charge.

The Abu Zubaydah case is a U.S. detention and torture litigation matter concerning Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn, captured in 2002 and held at CIA black sites.

When the United States opened Guantánamo Bay detention camp in 2002, it became the site of documented torture affecting approximately 780 men and boys from 48 countries. Over two decades later, verified interrogation techniques including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and sexual assault remain central to understanding post-9/11 American detention practices.

Sarah Koenig, host of the groundbreaking Serial podcast, completed Season 4 in April 2024 with a focus on Guantánamo Bay detention camp. The season features firsthand accounts from prisoners and staff who worked at the facility, continuing Koenig's signature deep-dive journalism into complex stories.