Guantanamo’s 10th Anniversary Marked by Protests
January 11, 2012
A coalition of human rights groups is marking the 10th anniversary of the first detainees being jailed at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by demonstrating in front of the White House and calling on President Barack Obama to close the controversial facility
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Hundreds of demonstrators marched in a cold rain along Pennsylvania Avenue.
They were led by protesters in black hoods and orange jump suits, representing the 171 detainees still held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Tom Parker, with Amnesty International, said “Guantanamo has been open 10 years too long. It is not keeping anybody safe. It is only open really now because of domestic politics. It serves no real useful purpose. It is a stain on America’s reputation.”
Of the nearly 780 detainees brought to Guantanamo over the past decade, about 600 have been released.
Opponents of the facility say the vast majority of the remaining prisoners are not a national security threat to the United States.
Protester Dan Burgevin has been living shackled, in a cage, across from the White House.
“We continue this abominable program that jails people with no charge and keeps them away from their families and people that they love," siad Burgevin. "I mean we just have to ask ourselves as Americans, would we want to be treated that way?”
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