USA: Guantánamo Bay - Fresh condemnation ahead of five-year ‘anniversary’

On the eve of the day marking the fifth ‘anniversary’ (11 January) of the first ‘war on terror’ detainees being transported to the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, Amnesty International today (10 January) issued a fresh statement condemning the camp.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

“Five years on from the first sinister scenes of men in orange jump-suits, ear-muffs and blind-folds being off-loaded from planes at Guantánamo Bay, it’s become shockingly clear that the US has created a travesty of justice.

“Guantánamo Bay has itself become an icon of lawlessness.

“Numerous reports of torture have sullied the US’s already stained reputation and Amnesty International is still barred from making meaningful camp inspections.

“Now, half a decade on and with not a single person yet found guilty of any offence, it’s time for the US to admit that this dangerous experiment with unilateral justice has failed, and failed miserably.

“We are calling for the immediate closure of Guantánamo Bay and for all other ‘war on terror’ detention centres to be identified and closed, with detainees being properly charged before fair courts or released to safe countries.”

Amnesty International is staging a large-scale demonstration outside the US embassy in London on 11 January. Hundreds of people in Guantánamo-style orange boiler-suits, blindfolded and gagged with goggles and face-masks will be kneeling in the infamous ‘submission’ posture seen in numerous photographs of prisoners held at the camp.

There will also be several people outfitted as US camp guards, in military-style uniforms. These ‘US guards’ will have large dogs on leashes and will ‘patrol’ the makeshift Guantánamo camp.

The London demonstration is part of a series of worldwide Amnesty International demonstrations against Guantánamo on 11 January, including demonstrations in New York, Tokyo, Rome, Madrid and Israel.

Find out more about the tomorrow's (11 January) demonstration

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