US Protesters Demand Closure of Guantánamo Prison in Front of White House (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Dozens of activists gathered at a park across from the White House to demand closing the detention facility, which operates outside the US legal system.
Protesters in orange jumpsuits with black bags covering their heads, symbolizing the abuse that Guantanamo prisoners have faced, stood with their backs to the White House as activists and legal experts denounced the continued detention of 40 people at the prison.
Also in Washington, police arrested five activists last week on Wednesday for holding banners outside the Supreme Court, calling for an end to torture and the closure of the prison at the US naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
The protest came on the 17th anniversary of the opening of Guantánamo in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Forty men remain languishing there; many of them have yet to face a trial.
The facility, built on US-controlled land in Cuba, was set up to house suspected dangerous militants from US wars after the 9/11 attacks.
The demonstration marked 17 years since the detention facility opened and 10 years since Obama signed a decree to close it down "promptly".
