The detention center at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. Naval Base has long stood as a symbol of secrecy, dehumanization, and violations of international law. Now, 23 years after its establishment as a prison camp for the U.S. “War on Terror,” the Rapoport Center is honored to host a conversation with two individuals who bring rare and powerful insight into Guantánamo’s ongoing legacies: Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights (2017–2023), and Mansoor Adayfi, who was held without charge or trial at Guantánamo for 14 years. Together, they will reflect on the contemporary status of the detention camp, the continuing challenges faced by former detainees, and the role of advocacy and art in pursuing justice, healing, and accountability.
About the Speakers: Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is Regents Professor, holder of the Robina Chair in Law, Public Policy, and Society, and faculty director of the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School. In 2017, she was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. In 2023, she was elected to the International Commission of Jurists. In 2024, she was appointed Honorary King's Counsel (KC Hon) by His Majesty The King of England. In her role as Special Rapporteur, Professor Ní Aoláin conducted a technical visit to the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in 2023, the first official UN expert visit to the site. Her landmark report called for the closing of the detention facilities and addressed the human rights of 9/11 victims, current Guantánamo detainees, and former detainees. Mansoor Adayfi works as CAGE International’s Guantanamo Project Coordinator. He is a writer, artist, human rights advocate, and former prisoner who was detained without charge or trial in Guantánamo from 2002 to 2016. In 2021, he completed his bachelor's degree in management, with his thesis serving as the basis of the Guantanamo Survivors Fund, which he co-founded along with US lawyers and NGOs. Adayfi’s first book, Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo, was published by Hachette in 2021 and won the 2022 Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award. In 2024, Audible published his audiobook, Letters from Guantanamo. He has written for news media and scholarly publications, including the introduction for the 2017-2018 exhibition of Guantanamo prisoners' artwork at the John Jay College of Justice. Recently, Adayfi has spoken out against the U.S. government’s plan to house over 30,000 immigrants in the Migrant Operations Center at Guantánamo Bay.
\n\nIf you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:The detention center at the Guantánamo Bay U.S. Naval Base has long stood as a symbol of secrecy, dehumanization, and violations of international law. Now, 23 years after its establishment as a prison camp for the U.S. “War on Terror,” the Rapoport Center is honored to host a conversation with two individuals who bring rare and powerful insight into Guantánamo’s ongoing legacies: Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights (2017–2023), and Mansoor Adayfi, who was held without charge or trial at Guantánamo for 14 years. Together, they will reflect on the contemporary status of the detention camp, the continuing challenges faced by former detainees, and the role of advocacy and art in pursuing justice, healing, and accountability.
About the Speakers: Fionnuala Ní Aoláin is Regents Professor, holder of the Robina Chair in Law, Public Policy, and Society, and faculty director of the Human Rights Center at the University of Minnesota Law School. In 2017, she was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council as Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism. In 2023, she was elected to the International Commission of Jurists. In 2024, she was appointed Honorary King's Counsel (KC Hon) by His Majesty The King of England. In her role as Special Rapporteur, Professor Ní Aoláin conducted a technical visit to the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in 2023, the first official UN expert visit to the site. Her landmark report called for the closing of the detention facilities and addressed the human rights of 9/11 victims, current Guantánamo detainees, and former detainees. Mansoor Adayfi works as CAGE International’s Guantanamo Project Coordinator. He is a writer, artist, human rights advocate, and former prisoner who was detained without charge or trial in Guantánamo from 2002 to 2016. In 2021, he completed his bachelor's degree in management, with his thesis serving as the basis of the Guantanamo Survivors Fund, which he co-founded along with US lawyers and NGOs. Adayfi’s first book, Don’t Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo, was published by Hachette in 2021 and won the 2022 Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award. In 2024, Audible published his audiobook, Letters from Guantanamo. He has written for news media and scholarly publications, including the introduction for the 2017-2018 exhibition of Guantanamo prisoners' artwork at the John Jay College of Justice. Recently, Adayfi has spoken out against the U.S. government’s plan to house over 30,000 immigrants in the Migrant Operations Center at Guantánamo Bay.
If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.
CATEGORIES:Panel Discussion / Speaker Series LOCATION:TNH 2.138 - Blanton Classroom URL:http://law.utexas.edu/calendar/2025/08/27/83081/ CLASS:PUBLIC STATUS:CONFIRMED COMMENT:cchristiancy@law.utexas.edu END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR