Many of the attorneys said the documents could help locate or identify witnesses or finally prove to family members that a loved one is being held at the U.S. military prison in Cuba.

Still, it is far from clear what legal rights the 500 or so prisoners have to contest their detention in U.S. courts, and how much use they can make of the new documents.

''The most frustrating part of it, these guys are wasting away in Guantanamo while the courts go about this process of sorting out their rights,'' said attorney Eldon Greenberg, who is representing two young Syrians detained as enemy combatants for more than four years.

The documents were released by the Bush administration last week after The Associated Press sued under the Freedom of Information Act. They provide a glimpse into annual threat-assessment hearings and Combat Status Review Tribunals, during which detainees are often pronounced ''enemy combatants'' - a status the administration says means they can be held indefinitely without charges.

The released documents consist mostly of transcripts of these proceedings.

In them, some of the men openly espouse hatred of the United States, while others assert their innocence.

Salih Uyar of Turkey was accused of living with a known al-Qaida member for two months, but says he was in Afghanistan sightseeing. He was also accused of wearing a type of Casio watch that the U.S. government says had been used in bombings.

''If it's a crime to carry this watch, your own military personnel also carry this watch, too,'' Uyar told a tribunal. ''Does that mean that they're just terrorists as well?''

The Guantanamo prisoners have no access to witnesses and are not allowed to see the evidence against them. For example, a man can be accused of being a member of the Taliban, but not know the identity of his accuser. In some instances, the detainees' lawyers can see such information, but are barred by the military from sharing it with their clients.