25 Years Since 9/11 and Still No Justice—Here’s Why

25 Years Since 9/11 and Still No Justice—Here’s Why

Date and Time

Sep 13, 2026 5:00 pm

Location

14th & V

2021 14th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20009

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Description:

The September 11 terror attacks occurred 25 years ago. Yet there has been no justice for the 2,977 people killed on that day, or for the five Guantánamo detainees the US government accuses of responsibility for this crime. The 9/11 case in the military commissions system—which started in 2008 and restarted in 2012—has not moved past the pre-trial phase. Rather than closure and answers, the case has exposed facts about the CIA’s past torture of the defendants—which challenge any hopes for legal justice.

John Ryan, author of America’s Trial: Torture and the 9/11 Case on Guantánamo Bay, and Lisa Hajjar, author of The War in Court: Inside the Long Fight against Torture, have covered the military commissions for over a decade. They will discuss the 9/11 case and its broader implications for the war on terror and Guantánamo’s future.

Copies of the books will be available for purchase during and after the event, and both authors will be signing following the program.

John Ryan is a co-founder of Lawdragon Inc. and has won numerous accolades as a legal affairs journalist over the past twenty-five years. Since 2015, John has been one of just two reporters in the world to report regularly on the military tribunals from Guantanamo Bay, earning three New York Press Club Awards for his work.

Lisa Hajjar is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, whose work focuses on the relationship between law and conflict. She is the author of Courting Conflict and Torture: A Sociology of Violence and Human Rights.

This event is free and open to all. Doors open to guests at 4:30pm. Our program begins at 5:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of "America’s Trial: Torture and the 9/11 Case on Guantánamo Bay" and "The War in Court: Inside the Long Fight against Torture" will be available for purchase before and during the event. Please note that this event is in person. We ask that guests RSVP in order to receive direct updates about the event from Busboys and Poets Books

BOOK DETAILS

America’s Trial: Torture and the 9/11 Case on Guantánamo Bay

By John Ryan

August 12, 2025 | Hardcover, 456 pages, $32.99

The War in Court: Inside the Long Fight Against Torture

by Lisa Hajjar

August 13, 2024 | Hardcover, 376 pages, $29.95

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