Skip to main content
Voices
Events

One Year and Counting: When and How Will Guantánamo Close?

  • When
  • January 22, 2010
    7:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (EST)
  • Where
  • New York City

The Open Society Institute, the Consitution Project, and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund sponsored a lunchtime panel discussion to mark President Obama's deadline for closing the Guantánamo Bay detention facility, which he set by Executive Order one year earlier, on his second day in office.

The discussion examines the obstacles preventing the president from fulfilling his promise, when and how Guantánamo is likely to close, and the impact of the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing on the politics of closing the detention facility. The discussion illuminates why it is essential that America comply with the rule of law as it continues its efforts to close Guantánamo.

Panelists

  • Jeffrey Toobin, The New Yorker (moderator)
  • Stephen Abraham, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.), U.S. Army Intelligence Corps (Reserves)
  • Honorable John Coughenour, Federal District Court, Seattle, WA, who presided over the 2005 trial of Ahmed Ressam, known as the Millennium Bomber
  • Talat Hamdani, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
  • Shane Kadidal, Senior Managing Attorney, Guantánamo Global Justice Initiative, Center for Constitutional Rights
  • Celeste Koeleveld, Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief Appellate Attorney, and Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York (1991-2008)

Location

Rockefeller Brothers Fund
475 Riverside Drive
New York, NY 10115

Video

Complete video of the event is available at FORA.tv

Read more

Countering Hate

The Attack on the San Diego Mosque Is Not an Isolated Incident

Four people embracing

In the wake of an attack on a mosque in San Diego, Laleh Ispahani writes on why solidarity is critical to countering hate—and foundational to creating the democracy that we all deserve.

May 19, 2026 | Laleh Ispahani

Inside Open Society

In Defense of Our Neighbors

A woman holds a sign that reads "Keep Families Together" in a crowd of people

As the current U.S. administration is transforming immigration policies, Open Society believes in giving communities control over who comes and how they are welcomed.

January 12, 2026 | Gregory Maniatis

Online Hate Speech

New SEC Complaint Says Meta Misled Shareholders over Myanmar Hate

Three men look at a mobile phone screen

A whistleblower complaint to the SEC argues that the social media giant Meta misrepresented its role in fueling violence against Myanmar’s Rohingya—highlighting the need for more platform accountability for online hate.

January 22, 2025 | Beini Ye & James A. Goldston

Subscribe to updates about upcoming Open Society events

By entering your email address and clicking “Submit,” you agree to receive updates from the Open Society Foundations about our work. To learn more about how we use and protect your personal data, please view our privacy policy.