Twenty-five years after the September 11 terror attacks, no legal justice has been delivered for the 2,977 people killed, nor for the five Guantánamo detainees accused by the United States government of responsibility for the crime. According to records from the military commissions system, the ongoing 9/11 legal proceedings—which initially commenced in 2008 and subsequently restarted in 2012—remain in the pre-trial phase. Rather than yielding answers or judicial closure, the case has exposed facts about the CIA’s past torture of the defendants, which challenge any hopes for legal justice.
The Stalled Military Commissions at Guantánamo Bay
The military commission framework established to prosecute the accused 9/11 plotters has spent well over a decade debating preliminary motions without advancing to trial. The persistent delays stem from the intersection of the case and the legacy of the Central Intelligence Agency’s past torture of the defendants.
The five defendants remain held at Guantánamo, while families of the victims and the public continue to await a definitive legal resolution.
Public Forums and Expert Chronicle of the Tribunals
To examine why the case has stalled and what it signifies for the future, a live public event is being held alongside Busboys and Poets. The program features two authors and journalists who have spent more than a decade covering the military commissions:
- John Ryan, co-founder of Lawdragon Inc. and a legal affairs journalist who, since 2015, has served as one of only two reporters in the world reporting regularly on the military tribunals from Guantánamo Bay. Ryan is the author of America’s Trial: Torture and the 9/11 Case on Guantánamo Bay, a 456-page hardcover published on August 12, 2025. He is a three-time recipient of the New York Press Club Award for his work.
- Lisa Hajjar, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, whose research examines the intersection of law and conflict. Hajjar is the author of The War in Court: Inside the Long Fight against Torture, a 376-page hardcover released on August 13, 2024. Her prior works include Courting Conflict and Torture: A Sociology of Violence and Human Rights.
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open to guests at 4:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 5:00 p.m., followed by an audience question-and-answer session. Copies of both authors’ books will be available for purchase before and during the program, and both writers will hold a book signing following the discussion. Organizers request that attendees RSVP in advance through Busboys and Poets Books to receive direct event updates.
