Worldwide protests mark Guantanamo’s sixth anniversary

As part of a global day of action, Amnesty International marked the sixth anniversary of the controversial Guantamano Bay detention centre by staging a protest outside the US Embassy in London.

January 11 2002, saw the arrival of the first prisoners suspected of al Qaeda and Taliban links at the US naval base in Cuba. Some 800 men and boys have been held in the camp known as “Gitmo”, with around 275 still detained.

Demonstrations against the camp, which human rights activists describe as an illegal prison where torture is practised, were held worldwide. As it stands, only one prisoner has been convicted in the Guantanamo war crimes tribunals.

The US plans to prosecute around 80 individuals before a military court while the rest are to be sent home. The fate of the facility will be decided by the US presidential election in November or when the Republican and Democratic candidates are chosen in early February.

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