Detainee representation was at first limited to a "personal representative" -- a non-attorney military officer whose responsibility was to assist the detainee with the process of how the CSRTs work.  The detainee was not provided with an attorney.

The Combatant Status Review Tribunals (also known as CSRTs) were established on July 7, 2004 -- administrative panels to determine solely if each detainee had been properly classified as an (unlawful) enemy combatant. Within six months, over 550 CSRTS were held.

Close to 800 of these suspected enemy combatants were blind-folded, bound and taken by plane to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay on the southeastern edge of Cuba .