The ADC-ICT has been granted NGO Observer Status at the Military Commissions in August 2019 by the Pentagon’s Guantánamo Bay Convening Authority. This grants permission for ADC-ICT representatives to travel to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba to carry out the role as an observer at the Military Commission proceedings. There are currently only 26 participant organisations worldwide which have been granted permission to observe proceedings. Only members in good standing of the ADC-ICT are eligible to serve as observers.
For those interested in serving as a Military Commission Observer, information on upcoming observation dates is available below. Observation opportunities are posted as soon as they become available. Individuals interested in becoming a Military Commission Observer are encouraged to check the site often.
The application form below must be completed by members seeking to serve as a Military Commission Observer at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
If there is higher interest than places available for a particular session, places will be allocated randomly.
A maximum of one ADC-ICT Observer can travel to Guantánamo Bay per session. The flights usually depart on the Saturday before the start of the hearings from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and return the following Saturday after the week of hearings. Observers must be able to stay in Guantánamo for the full week of the hearings. Flights from Joint Base Andrews and basic accommodation in military tents are provided but observers are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to get to Joint Base Andrews.
ADC-ICT Observers are also responsible for obtaining their own medical and evacuation insurance for the period they will be present in Guantánamo Bay.
The schedule below is tentative and can be changed or cancelled at short notice and the ADC-ICT and the US Government are not responsible for any costs incurred by a nominee in the event that hearings are cancelled.
Those members who are nominated to travel to Guantánamo Bay must complete all paperwork within strict deadlines stipulated by the Convening Authority and the final authorization to travel to Guantánamo Bay is dependent upon the decision of the Base Commander.
The ADC-ICT must receive an application form at least 65 days before the scheduled hearings for US nationals and at least 95 days for non-US nationals and dual citizenship holders. You must be in possession of a valid visa for the US at the time of application, or be eligible for entry under the Visa Waiver Program, unfortunately applicants without a visa cannot be considered for the observer programme.
You will only be contacted if you have been selected as an ADC-ICT nominee for a hearing session.
Members who are sent as ADC-ICT observers are required to produce a report on the hearings which they observed.
Updates from proceedings from ADC-ICT Observers are available here.