Dawood Azami asks former Guantanamo detainees in Afghanistan and Pakistan how the prison changed their lives.

The US military prison at Guantanamo Bay is arguably the world’s most famous and most controversial detention facility where around 800 citizens of 48 countries were detained, most of them from Afghanistan. The prison was established by the Bush Administration in January 2002, following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan, to hold persons it classified as enemy combatants.

Since then, there have been calls for the closure of the detention camp and many US officials accept that the camp’s existence has tarnished the reputation of the United States as a beacon of freedom. President Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo, stating that it hurts America’s “international standing”. Although most of the prisoners have now been released or sent to other countries, more than 150 prisoners are still held there. With US-led NATO’s combat mission in Afghanistan due to end this year, the BBC’s Dawood Azami assesses the damage Guantanamo has done to the international reputation of the US by visiting Guantanamo prison and talking to ex-Guantanamo detainees in Pakistan and Afghanistan about freedom and the way the prison has changed their lives and their views.

This program airs as part of Freedom2014 Season.

Duration: 26 minutes 30 seconds (or 30 minutes including news bulletins, billboards &promos)

Transmission time: Tuesday, February 25 at 0406 ET and repeated on 2/25 at 1006 ET and 1932 ET as well as on Friday 2/28 at 2332 ET, Saturday, 3/1 at 2032 and Sunday, 3/2 at 1506

This program is also available to download from the Documentary section of the BBC Partner Site.

Broadcast window: February 25-March 24