Israeli photographer Ziv Koren recently traveled to Guantánamo Bay on assignment for NEWSWEEK to capture some footage inside the detention camps. After months of waiting for clearance, he was able to spend several days in May on the inside shooting both video and still photographs. Koren has developed a special technique for capturing video and still images simultaneously. The resulting video has a stop-motion feel that gives viewers a sense of how photographers choose to frame still images.
U.S. officials are highly concerned about the public image of the detention camps, particularly after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2006 entitling all detainees to rights and protections in accordance with Geneva Conventions. Few photojournalists have been permitted to capture images at Guantánamo, and NEWSWEEK's Jessica Bloustein spoke with Koren about his rare experience. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: What did it take to get clearance to go in and shoot?
Ziv Koren: It took five months to get approval to go in. They required a list of my clients, my CV [curriculum vitae], a list of the assignments I'd completed, a list of my gear. Pretty much everything I have.
What happened when you first arrived?
We followed a tight schedule and were told what to film when. I was with another [Associated Press] photographer and two other camera people from different news [outlets]. In two and a half days of shooting, we'd spend half a day shooting and half a day for censorship. They gave us a tour of the border between Guantanamo and Cuba, and interviews with generals. We toured [Camp] X-Ray [a temporary holding facility], which is now totally unoccupied. The grass is three feet high, but they still keep it.
What was your first impression of the camps?
Everything I saw there was in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and human-rights standards. The detainees have TV, a library. I was convinced the way they were being held is totally fine. But the fact that we were censored in such a heavy and irrational way causes the opposite impression. You're left with nothing because they've censored everything.
So you couldn't just snap photos of anything you wanted, right?
They were very strict, with no margin to the left or to the right. In [the U.S. military's] Censorship [Department], they went through every picture and video, frame by frame. For example, we would go into the camp to shoot the watchtowers. But they told us we couldn't shoot more than one in the same frame, for security reasons. There had to be a guard in the watchtower we were shooting, but the guard couldn't be seen in the shot. We also couldn't shoot the security camera on the tower, which to me looked like the generic cameras you'd find in any drugstore. We couldn't shoot the faces of the detainees. No pictures of locks, faces or the seashore.
How many of your photos were axed?
We were allowed very little. Even if they were trying to be very sensitive, we would go in and they would delete most of the shots. They killed 250 of my pictures, which left me with not much else. No cropping or retouching allowed. You couldn't download them yourself before you got to Censorship. If a [security] camera was in the very far end of the picture, even if they couldn't see it, the guys from Censorship would know it was there and kill the picture. Getting video was almost impossible. If a detainee turned around and you could only see part of his nose--they'd kill the footage. [Pentagon spokesmen authorized to speak on Guantánamo matters were attending the arraignment of top Al Qaeda detainees and did not return calls requesting comment.]
You weren't happy with that, so you fought to get back in a second time?
After the first time, I thought, I don't have a story, I need a second chance. They were totally inflexible, but I did get a second chance at Camp Four. I was exhausted from fighting. It was a nightmare. I was disappointed because I thought I would get better access, a more complete story. It was richer than the previous trip, though.
Were you happy with the end result?
Based on what I've seen shot in the past and the reaction of editors being very happy with what I'd done, I guess I did get some kind of a result--even though I left thinking I was missing something, that I didn't go deep enough. As much as [Guantánamo officials] try to portray transparency, my feeling was that we were not getting what we came for.
Your video features snapshots of rather large iguanas. They're actually in the detention camp?
There are huge iguanas all over Guantánamo Bay. Even inside the detainee camps. The iguanas are totally protected [as an endangered species]. If an American soldier runs over an iguana, the fine is $10,000. The soldiers are very careful.