President Barack Obama has signed an executive order to shut down the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay within one year.

Since October 2001, 775 detainees have been brought to Guantanamo. Of these, approximately 420 have been released without charge. As of May 2008, approximately 270 detainees remain. More than a fifth are cleared for release but must remain indefinitely because countries are reluctant to accept them.

The Obama administration will now have to decide what legal system should be used to prosecute the detainees and where they will be detained.